United States: Product manufacturers are slowly eliminating toxic ingredients from their production processes because California requires strict chemical disclosure rules for manufacturers, according to a newly released report.
More about the news
A new study in Environmental Science & Technology published Wednesday shows that Proposition 65 has enhanced consumer awareness of hazardous ingredients, thus causing manufacturers to produce safer products for the market.
California operates a database containing about 900 substances that produce cancer and reproductive problems under Proposition 65.
Consumer exposure warnings become mandatory on all products containing these listed ingredients during their sale within California’s borders, the Hill reported.
Historical data shows how successful the law has been in controlling substance use because similar chemicals remain wanted throughout other US states.
Scientists from the University of California Berkeley and Massachusetts-based Silent Spring Institute conducted research on how Proposition 65 affected corporate business operations.
What are the experts stating?
According to Jennifer Ohayon, a lead author and a research scientist at Silent Spring Institute, “What we found was that companies, rather than consumers, may be most affected by the law’s warning requirements,” The Hill reported.
“By increasing businesses’ awareness of chemicals in the supply chain, Prop 65 has caused them to shift away from using toxic substances, and that’s a positive step for public health,” Ohayon stated.
The research investigation involved comprehensive interviews of 32 business leaders who worked in various international manufacturing and retail industries across more than 13 sectors, including home improvement products and personal care, as well as healthcare and cleaning content.
A total of 78 percent of the study participants reported that Proposition 65 led manufacturers to change their product compositions per the report data.
Furthermore, “Companies consistently told us they would rather eliminate a Prop 65 chemical altogether than post a warning,” as Meg Schwarzman, a corresponding author and a physician and environmental health scientist at Berkeley’s School of Public Health.
Raw material purchase and product development at manufacturers are heavily dependent on references to Proposition 65 through an 81 percent response rate to the survey.
“Companies are incredibly reluctant to put a label on a product that says it contains a chemical that causes cancer,” Ohayon stated.
“That was the biggest driving force behind their decisions to reformulate,” Ohayon continued, reported the Hill.
Strategies enabling manufacturers to skirt Proposition 65 compliance rules by keeping ingredients below secure thresholds proved unsuccessful, as most companies avoided using those materials entirely.