PROPOSITION 65 WARNING EXPLANATION
JKS Manufacturing applies warning labels either on our product(s), the packaging containing our product(s) regarding CA Prop 65. This warning is part of our effort to comply with the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (known as “Proposition 65”). The warning does not mean that our products will necessarily cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. While we believe our products are not harmful when used as designed, and we rely on our suppliers to help with this effort, we also provide these warnings to comply with Proposition 65.
What is California Proposition 65?
Proposition 65 is a far reaching law and applies to any company that operates in California, sells products in California, or manufactures products that may be sold in or brought into California. Proposition 65 requires warnings to accompany any product that contains or may contain any of the chemicals appearing on the list administered by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. The current list can be found here: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list
What This Means To You
While the proposition was created to protect drinking water sources from chemical contamination, the scope of the law has expanded over the years. It now includes over 900 chemicals and also pertains to (but is not limited to) exposure through touch, inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact.
The Prop 65 warning can now be found on products that may contain a small amount of over 900 chemicals or ingredients that the OEHHA lists as a carcinogen or reproductive toxicant. This includes compounds that are used in everyday life like vinyl, coatings, plastics, and much more.
Why has JKS Manufacturing decided to provide a warning?
Proposition 65 imposes strict penalties for noncompliance. While California establishes “safe harbor numbers” for listed chemicals, the costs of individually testing products that JKS Manufacturing sells and distributes is prohibitive (particularly when the list of chemicals is so expansive and subject to change on an annual basis).
As a result of the steep penalties and because there is no penalty for providing an unnecessary warning, JKS Manufacturing (like some other companies doing business in California) decided to provide the Proposition 65 notice out of an abundance of caution.
For more information about Proposition 65 we suggest that you visit:
http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/background/p65plain.html