Prop 65 Warning
Do I need to worry about the Prop 65 warning?
California's Proposition 65 entitles California consumers to special warnings for products that contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm if those products expose consumers to such chemicals above certain threshold levels.
We are providing the following warning for products linked to this page:
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals, including lead, which known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
WARNING: Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Why am I seeing this warning?
Proposition 65 (Prop 65) is a Californian law formally known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act which was enacted in 1986. It is a right-to-know law requiring the public to be informed when a substance on the Prop 65 chemical list may be present above a very low threshold. Prop 65 is a law unique to the State of California and not a national standard related to health or safety, no other state has such a labeling regulation. In California, even if a product is safe, Prop 65 requires a consumer warning if it contains 1 of approximately 900 listed substances.
What are the substances included?
The Prop 65 list contains a wide range of substances, both man-made chemicals and naturally occurring materials. Many substances on the list are not intentionally added and are a result of natural processes. For example, certain metals including lead are found in our natural environment, in soil, water and rocks. As a result, it is often found in natural foods and through food supply chains.
How do Prop 65 limits compare to Federal levels?
Prop 65 limits are not the same as Federal limits. For example, the Prop 65 level for lead is 0.5mcg (1 mcg = 1 microgram, which is one millionth of a gram). The FDA has established an interim reference limit for lead as 12.5mcg per day for adults, this allows for differences across adult populations and is almost ten times less than the actual intake from food. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a source for testing standards that are recognized by the FDA for pharmaceutical drugs. The USP has also created heavy metal standards for dietary supplements. Currently, the USP’s permitted exposure to lead in dietary supplements is 10 mcg/day.
How do Prop 65 limits relate to everyday foods?
The Prop 65 warning is required for any products that contain over 0.5mcg of lead (a microgram is one millionth of a gram) per maximum daily usage. For comparison, half a cup of cooked spinach contains 0.9mcg of lead, 4oz of shrimp contains 1.0mcg of lead and a 5oz glass of red or white wine contains 0.9mcg of lead.
What are we doing to keep customers safe?
We run third party testing on every batch we produce which monitors the levels of metals in the formulas. All our Dietary Supplement formulas are produced in a GMP Certified and FDA approved facility and meet federal safety standards.
Further reading
For more information please refer to the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) website. For more on the FDA limits for Lead, see Lead in Food, Foodwares, and Dietary Supplements on the FDA’s website. Learn more about what The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) do here.
