About the California Proposition 65 Warning
California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986—commonly called Proposition 65—has greatly expanded consumer warning requirements. What began as an effort to shield drinking-water sources from chemical contamination now obliges manufacturers to place warning labels on products that might contain any of roughly 1,000 substances the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) lists as carcinogenic or harmful to reproduction.
Many of these substances appear routinely in everyday items such as coffee, jewelry, lamps, ceramic dishes, lead-crystal glassware, power cords, automobiles, beauty products, and furniture. They include plastics, vinyls, heavy metals, and even vitamin A above certain levels. Some—lead, for example—are naturally widespread in air, soil, water, and rock. As the Los Angeles Times noted, Proposition 65 warnings turn up everywhere in California: parking structures, hardware stores, schools, hospitals, theme parks—virtually any sizable business.
Because wood dust or another listed material might conceivably be present on our furniture or its packaging, we are required to attach the official Proposition 65 notice to avoid substantial fines within the state. California mandates the exact wording: “This product can expose you to chemicals including [name of chemical], which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
Please don’t be alarmed. Research indicates that actual risk depends on the level and duration of exposure; a Proposition 65 label does not automatically mean a product is unsafe.
Like most furniture makers, RELSO ships nationwide. Since we cannot predict a piece’s destination at the time of manufacture, we apply Proposition 65 warnings to all products, and retailers selling in California must leave those labels intact.
The safety of our customers and employees is RELSO Furniture’s highest priority, and we remain committed to offering the finest quality products in the industry.