Category: Proposition 65

January 6, 2025

2025 Forecast for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®), and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to share with you our 2025 Forecast. For all the reasons you might imagine, our seasoned team was especially challenged this year in speculating on what to expect in 2025 regarding global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical regulatory and policy initiatives. Given the European Parliamentary...
April 11, 2022

Proposition 65: OEHHA Proposes Additional Changes to “Short-Form” Warnings

On April 5, 2022, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing additional modifications to its proposal to modify its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). OEHHA first proposed to change the short-form warning requirements on January 8, 2021. On December 13, 2021, OEHHA issued a notice proposing modifications to the revisions in its first proposal. More...
December 14, 2021

Proposition 65: OEHHA Modifies Proposed Changes to “Short-Form” Warnings

On December 13, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing modifications to the revisions it first proposed on January 8, 2021, to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). More information regarding the January 8, 2021, proposal is available on our blog. OEHHA is requesting comments on its Notice and the modifications to the proposed...
January 21, 2021

Proposition 65:  OEHHA Proposes Significant Changes to “Short-Form” Warnings

On January 8, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed significant revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings. When OEHHA’s revisions to the warning requirements were issued in 2016 (and in full effect as of August 30, 2018), OEHHA included a short-form warning option as an acceptable alternative to the revised requirements for consumer product exposure...
January 17, 2020

OEHHA Adopts Amendments to Prop 65 Retail Seller Responsibilities

On January 14, 2020, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) adopted amendments it proposed on November 16, 2018, and modified on October 4, 2019, to the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations setting forth the circumstances when a “retail seller” is responsible for providing consumer product exposure warnings. The amendments are effective on April 1, 2020. The amendments adopted have not changed since OEHHA’s October 4, 2019,...
October 8, 2019

OEHHA Proposes Modifications to Prop 65 Retail Seller Responsibilities

On October 4, 2019, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed modifications to amendments it proposed on November 16, 2018, to the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations setting forth the circumstances when a “retail seller” is responsible for providing consumer product exposure warnings. As discussed below, OEHHA first proposed amendments clarifying retail seller responsibilities in response to questions and requests for clarification it...
May 7, 2019

OEHHA Publishes Prop 65 Definition of Nickel (Soluble Compounds)

On May 2, 2019, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published a definition of nickel (soluble compounds) for the purposes of Proposition 65 (Prop 65). Under the notice, nickel (soluble compounds) are defined to be compounds of nickel with solubility in water of greater than 0.1 moles per liter (mol/L) at 20oC. OEHHA states that this definition is consistent both with the discussion by the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification...
January 8, 2019

Forecast for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2019

Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2019. In this richly detailed document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and provide our best informed judgment as to the shape of key developments we are likely to see in the New Year. Our unique business platform and growing...
December 6, 2018

Proposed Amendments to Prop 65 Retail Seller Responsibilities Section 25600.2 (Responsibility to Provide Consumer Product Exposure Warnings)

On November 16, 2018, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed amendments to Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations setting forth the circumstances when a “retail seller” is required to provide a consumer product exposure warning.  Retail sellers are defined under the regulations as: [A] person or business that sells or otherwise provides consumer products directly to consumers by any means, including via the internet. For purposes of this...
October 29, 2018

California Lists Nickel (Soluble Compounds) on Prop 65 as Known to Cause Reproductive Toxicity

Effective October 26, 2018, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added nickel (soluble compounds) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of Proposition 65 (Prop 65).  Importantly, “soluble” is not defined in the listing.  On October 11, 2018, OEHHA’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC), in its official capacity as the “state’s qualified experts”...
May 23, 2018

Proposition 65: Three Months until Effective Date for OEHHA’s Amended Proposition 65 Clear and Reasonable Warnings Requirements

There are approximately three months until the effective date of the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations. By August 30, 2018, companies must comply with the revised regulations for consumer products, occupational, and environmental exposures. Companies that have not already revised warnings to comply with the new requirements must now review...
March 19, 2018

Proposition 65: August Deadline Looming for OEHHA’s Amended Proposition 65 Clear and Reasonable Warning Requirements

There are less than five months before the effective date of the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations.  By August 30, 2018, companies must comply with the revised regulations for consumer product, occupational, and environmental exposures.  While some companies have already revised warning requirements prior to this deadline, and an...
January 4, 2018

Predictions and Outlook for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2018

Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2018. The document distills key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and regulation, and provides a sneak preview of what our legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals believe we are likely to see in the New Year. Our unique business platform and global team of highly skilled professionals are perfectly suited...
December 8, 2017

Proposition 65: OEHHA Amends Proposition 65 Regulations for Clear and Reasonable Warnings

On December 6 2017, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice alerting stakeholders that amendments were approved related to its August 28, 2016, adopted revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations. These amendments, first proposed on July 21, 2017, are intended to clarify and correct certain sections of Article 6 that OEHHA believed “would be beneficial to the regulated community in...
October 19, 2017

Proposition 65: OEHHA Releases Q&A Regarding Proposition 65 Regulations for Clear and Reasonable Warnings

In August 2017, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released a Questions and Answers for Businesses (Q&A) document related to its August 28, 2016, adopted revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 regulations covering “clear and reasonable warnings” requirements. Information related to OEHHA’s past actions modifying Prop 65 warning regulations, including the August 28, 2016, adoption and the November 27, 2015, and March 25, 2016,...
October 17, 2017

Prop 65 Amendments Now Effective Regarding Content of Notices of Violation Involving Occupational Exposures

On October 1, 2017, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) regulations amending the content required in Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Notices of Violation involving occupational exposure became effective.  The regulations (found at Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 25903(b)(2)(E)), first proposed on May 19, 2017, are intended to clarify that the “Special Compliance Procedure Proof of...
September 22, 2016

Proposition 65:  OEHHA Adopts Revisions to Its Proposition 65 Warning Regulations

On August 28, 2016, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) adopted revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 regulations covering "clear and reasonable warnings" requirements. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) prepared a memorandum discussing OEHHA's November 27, 2015, proposed rule, Proposition 65: OEHHA Repeals and Re-Proposes Revisions to Proposition 65 Warning Regulations, and the March 25, 2016, revisions to those proposed...
September 20, 2016

OEHHA Issues Notice of Intent to List PFOA and PFOS

On September 16, 2016, the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice of intent to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop 65). OEHHA is proposing the action under the authoritative bodies' listing mechanism. Comments are...
April 5, 2016

Proposition 65:  OEHHA Proposes Revisions to Its Proposed Proposition 65 Warning Regulations

On March 25, 2016, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) modified its November 27, 2015, proposed rule that would repeal and replace the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 regulations covering "clear and reasonable warnings" requirements. OEHHA states that the proposed changes are based on its response to the written comments it received on the proposed rule, and on oral comments provided during a January 13, 2016, public hearing. The modifications...
February 9, 2016

OEHHA Issues Final Regulations Related To Its Prop 65 Website

On January 25, 2016, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced the adoption of final regulations (Regulations) related to the development and maintenance of a website to "provide information to the public regarding exposures to listed chemicals for which warnings are being provided" under Proposition 65 (Prop 65). Final Statement of Reasons (FSOR) at 11. OEHHA states that its intent with these Regulations is to "increase the availability of...
December 11, 2015

Proposition 65:  OEHHA Repeals and Re-Proposes Revisions to Proposition 65 Warning Regulations

On November 27, 2015, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) took two actions: (1) it withdrew its proposed rule issued on January 16, 2015, that would have repealed and replaced the existing Article 6 regulations regarding the all-important "clear and reasonable warnings" requirements under Proposition 65 (Prop 65); and (2) it replaced it with a new proposed rule that will repeal and replace the Prop 65 Article 6 regulations (Proposed Rule), posted with an...
February 3, 2015

Proposition 65: OEHHA Proposes Revisions to Proposition 65 Warning Regulations

On January 12, 2015, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed important new regulations that would repeal and replace the existing Article 6 regulations regarding the all-important "clear and reasonable warnings" requirements under Proposition 65 (Proposed Rule). OEHHA previously released a Pre-Regulatory Proposal for a potential draft regulation amending Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations with some sweeping and controversial proposed changes, including, for...
January 5, 2015

Predictions and Outlook for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) 2015

Click here for a PDF version of the memorandum. 2015 will be a very interesting year. There are two overarching considerations that will make the year more difficult to predict than merely assuming most of this year's issues will simply be extensions of past issues, with a few new initiatives sprinkled in. First, the new Republican majority in the Senate will change the dynamic between the Executive and Legislative branches. Second, the Obama Administration will begin its lame duck status as it...
April 1, 2014

Proposition 65: OEHHA Releases Pre-Regulatory Proposal for Revised Proposition 65 Warning Regulations

On March 7, 2014, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released a pre-regulatory proposal for a potential draft regulation amending Proposition 65 regulations. Significantly -- and likely controversially -- the proposal seeks changes to the warning requirements to require more detailed information, including the names of the chemicals covered by individual warnings, the ways that individuals are exposed to these chemicals, and how individuals can avoid or reduce their...
November 7, 2012

Court Affirms Decision Preventing Proposition 65 Listing of Styrene and Vinyl Acetate As Carcinogens

On October 31, 2012, the Court of Appeals of the State of California, Third Appellate District, issued a decision affirming the decision of the trial court, which found that the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) had failed to provide sufficient evidence that styrene and vinyl acetate are "known" to cause cancer and thus these substances could not be listed as carcinogens under Proposition 65. The decision, which is available online, has important...
June 7, 2011

California Appellate Court Affirms Decision Supporting Proposition 65 Labor Code Listing Mechanism

On June 6, 2011, the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District affirmed the 2009 decision by the Alameda County Superior Court upholding the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment's (OEHHA) use of the Labor Code mechanism to add chemicals to Proposition 65. California Chamber of Commerce v. Schwarzenegger (Div. 1, No. A125493). This effectively means that the so-called Labor Code mechanism is a viable listing mechanism for Proposition 65 purposes....
March 9, 2011

OEHHA Proposes Prop 65 Listings under Labor Code Mechanism

On March 4, 2011, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed to list four chemicals as known to the State to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop 65) under the "Labor Code mechanism" for listing contained in Health and Safety Code Section 25249.8(a). The four substances are: ChemicalCAS...