California’s Proposition 65 places substantial obligations on businesses with operations in California, as well as manufacturers, suppliers, importers, distributors, and retailers of products for California consumers. Proposition 65’s warning obligations can be triggered by any one of over 900 chemicals listed by the State of California as potentially causing cancer or reproductive harm, making compliance a challenge for businesses. Failure to comply with Proposition 65 can result in substantial monetary liabilities, including civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each violation.

Learn more about the Stoel Rives Prop 65 team.

Join Stoel Rives attorney Melissa Jones for a webinar to help you avoid getting caught in the Proposition 65 trap. The webinar will cover significant regulatory and enforcement issues associated with Prop 65, including litigation, product testing, recent trends, and practical advice for compliance.

When: Wednesday, October 10, 2012
9 – 10:30 a.m. Pacific
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As reported by the Associated Press, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”) has issued a report claiming that nail polish has been sold in the State containing the chemicals toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and formaldehyde, which the agency has referred to as “the toxic trio.”

The agency’s report noted that the use of the chemicals

Yesterday, Governor Brown appointed George Alexeeff as the Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) at the California EPA.  Alexeeff has been the deputy director since 1998 and has worked at the department since 1988.  He has a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from U.C. Davis.

Among other duties, OEHHA is responsible

Last week a “concerned citizen” acting in the “interest of the general public” filed a rash of Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”) lawsuits against retailers for their sale of drinking game kits in California.  Prop 65 threatens to impose penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, plus attorneys’ fees and costs, if a business knowingly and

Yesterday the California Attorney General’s office sent a letter to the Proposition 65 plaintiffs’ bar regarding the use of releases in Proposition 65 cases.  The AG’s letter noted that it is concerned about releases in Prop 65 cases that have been given “in the public interest.”  The letter noted that these releases are typically problematic when they attempt

Last month, I blogged about lead in brass handrails as a potential new Prop 65 trend.  The same plaintiff who issued the Proposition 65 notices concerning brass in handrails at amusement parks (the Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation) has just issued another similar notice.  This time, the notice alleges that a large restaurant chain exposed California consumers

Earlier this month, a consumer watchdog group published a document arguing that certain bath products continue to contain a preservative that includes formaldehyde and possibly 1,4-Dioxane.  This same organization filed a report in 2009, which resulted in lawsuits under California’s unfair competition law (“UCL”; § 17200 of the California Business and Professions Code) and Proposition