SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is reminding stakeholders that the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has added perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and its salts to the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) list of restricted chemicals.
The announcement was made on December 29, 2021, with PFNA and its salts being listed as a chemical known to cause male reproductive toxicity. This listing came into effect on December 31, 2021.
Under the terms of Prop 65, companies doing business in California should be aware for the following enforcement dates:
- December 31, 2022: provide a ‘clear and reasonable warning’ before knowingly and intentionally exposing anyone to a listed chemical
- September 1, 2023: do not knowing discharge of PFNA and its salts into sources of drinking water
Prop 65, or the ‘Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’, is a unique piece of legislation passed in November 1986. It requires the state to maintain a list of chemicals (Prop 65 List) known to cause cancer, birth defects and/or reproductive harm. Unless exempted, businesses operating in California must provide ‘a clear and reasonable warning’ (Prop 65 Warning) before knowingly and intentionally exposing anyone to a substance on the Prop 65 List, which now contains more than 900 chemicals. Companies have twelve months to comply with this requirement once a substance is included in the Prop 65 List.
Exemptions include:
- Businesses employing less than 10 people
- Government agencies
- Businesses where exposure creates no significant risk of cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm
SGS Prop 65 Services
With a global network of laboratories, SGS can offer comprehensive testing, product assessment and consultancy services related to California Proposition 65. SGS can assist your risk management strategy in consumer goods, such as DIYs, electrical and electronics, hardgoods products, juvenile products, and textile & toy products. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Prop 65 Services.
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full California OEHHA Adds PFNA and its Salts to the Prop 65 List of Chemicals SafeGuardS.
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For further information contact:
Hing Wo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
Tel:(+852) 2774 7420
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/cgnr
LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.