California Proposition 65

Protekt Worldwide LLC has, out of an abundance of caution, opted to provide the Proposition 65 consumer notice on many of its products including those that are suspect of being assumed to fall within the stringent Proposition 65 compliance criteria.

Q: Why is there a warning on some Protekt Worldwide LLC products that claim the product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm?

A: This warning is provided pursuant to a California law known as Proposition 65. Under Proposition 65, California maintains a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Any company whose product contains one or more of the roughly 800 Proposition 65 listed chemicals must provide a notice to California consumers unless it can prove that any exposure is below a 1000 times less than a scientifically-established safe level.

Q: Does this mean my Protekt Worldwide LLC product is not safe to use?

A: The current Proposition 65 list includes over 800 chemicals, including chemicals used in many foods, dyes, and household items, and the notice requirements can apply even if a product uses near-untraceable small quantities of a listed chemical. California has acknowledged that “[t]he fact that a product bears a Proposition 65 warning does not by itself mean that the product is unsafe.” See Proposition 65 in Plain Language!(ca.gov)

Proposition 65 requires companies to provide a consumer notice for exposures to listed chemicals unless the company can prove that exposure levels are 1000 times less than a scientifically-established safe level. While the exposure level of Prop 65-listed chemicals from the use of any Protekt Worldwide LLC product may be well below the level of no observable effect, proving that exposure is 1000 times less than this threshold can be difficult and costly on a per product basis. Consequently, Protekt Worldwide LLC has, out of an abundance of caution, opted to provide the Proposition 65 consumer notice. Protekt Worldwide LLC and its sourcing partners monitor and test our products to ensure customer safety and satisfaction, and our commitment is to continuously strive to improve our products in all aspects.

Learn more about Proposition 65 directly from the California state hosted Proposition 65 website or  from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment