Governor Seeks Changes To Proposition 65

California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. (D) is proposing changes to the state’s Proposition 65. That 1986 law lists chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm; requires warning labels on products that contain those substances; and prohibits their discharge into drinking water sources. One reform Brown proposed last week would affect warning labels for products containing chemicals causing reproductive toxicity. Prop 65 now exempts businesses from labeling such chemicals if they are present in a product at a concentration no greater than 0.001 of the level at which there are no observed effects in humans for that substance. Citing advances in risk assessment since 1986, Brown is seeking to loosen this limit to 0.01 of the no-observed-effects level. The proposal also would toughen legal requirements for those suing businesses for allegedly violating Prop 65.