A Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”) plaintiff has issued the first 60-Day Notice of Violation concerning 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI). 4-MEI, a chemical compound used to make certain products, is one of the over 850 chemicals on California’s Prop 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. 4-MEI was placed on the Prop 65 list in
California AG sends new letter to Prop 65 plaintiffs’ bar
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
Prop 65 Update- Lead in Brass Door Handles
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
Are Personal Care Products in for a New Round of California Proposition 65 and UCL Actions Alleging Exposure to Formaldehyde and 1,4-Dioxane?
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
Alleged Lead in Brass Hand Rails: Emerging Prop 65 Trend?
Several experienced Proposition 65 plaintiffs filed a high-profile Proposition 65 lawsuit in October regarding alleged lead at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. The lawsuit alleged that various locations in Disneyland and California Adventure contain leaded brass, including hand rails, chains and line dividers, and various items that children are encouraged to play with (such as
New CA Law Impacts Companies That Had Entered Into the Lead-in-Jewelry Consent Judgment
Governor Brown signed into law new legislation (SB 646-Pauley) that ends what has been described as a dual track system for enforcing California’s Lead Containing Jewelry Law (Health and Safety Codes Section 25214.1-25214.4.2). The law, which regulates the levels of lead in jewelry, also contained an exemption for retailers that had joined a
Prop 65: Cadmium Opt-In Deadline is October 21
A group of jewelry retailers, manufacturers and suppliers entered into a Proposition 65 settlement agreement with Center for Environmental Health (CEH) several months ago concerning cadmium in jewelry. The settlement was formalized in a consent judgment approved by Alameda Superior Court in CEH v. Aeropostale, Inc.
As in other Prop 65 consent judgments, this