About California Proposition 65

If you live in California and you have ever seen a yellow triangle on the back of a product, on a parking-garage sign, or on a hardware-store receipt, you have already met Proposition 65. This page explains what those warnings mean, why Wehoz shows them on certain product pages and order emails, and how to dig into the specific chemicals if you want to learn more.

The short version

Proposition 65 is a California law from 1986 — its formal name is the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. It tells businesses that sell to people in California to give a clear warning before exposing them to one of a long list of chemicals the State of California has identified as causing cancer, reproductive harm, or both. The list now contains about 900 substances and is updated by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment several times a year.

A Prop 65 warning does not mean a product is unsafe to use. It means California has decided that some exposure to a listed chemical is possible at some level, and that buyers deserve the heads-up. The warning level is set well below the level at which the chemical is actually known to cause harm — often by a factor of a thousand. Many products with Prop 65 warnings are sold everywhere else without one, and many are produced by companies that follow stricter manufacturing standards than they used to. The point of the warning is informed consent, not a safety verdict.

How to read the warning we show you

When Wehoz displays a Prop 65 warning, you will see a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark, the word WARNING in capital letters, the type of harm California associates with the listed chemical (cancer, reproductive harm, or both), one or more chemical names, and a link back to this page.

The chemical names are pulled from the same list California publishes. The warning uses California's preferred short-form phrasing — the version that ends with "Go to P65Warnings.ca.govfor more information."

Why some products carry it and others do not

Whether a Prop 65 warning applies depends on what is physically inside the product, how it's used, and how it's manufactured. A wooden chair made from kiln-dried, formaldehyde-free panels does not need the same warning a particle-board chair might. Two products that look identical on a shelf can have completely different exposure profiles depending on supplier choices.

Sellers on Wehoz mark warnings on their products before listing them, and our category defaults seed warnings for product types that most commonly contain a listed chemical (vinyl shower curtains for DEHP, costume jewelry for lead, non-stick cookware for PFOA, and so on). If a seller has a product that has been independently tested to fall outside the warning threshold, they can override the default. If you see a warning that surprises you, that is the system working as intended — the seller either did not have an exemption to claim or chose not to.

What "cancer," "reproductive harm," and "both" mean

Each chemical on the Prop 65 list is flagged for one or both effects:

• Cancer. The State of California has determined that exposure can cause cancer at some level. Examples on our marketplace include formaldehyde (often from particle-board furniture) and chromium VI (in some leather tanning).
• Reproductive harm. The chemical is associated with birth defects or other reproductive system effects. Examples include lead and phthalates (which show up in PVC, certain electronics cables, and some plastic garden hoses).
• Both.The chemical is on California's list for both effects. Examples include PFOA (non-stick coatings) and DEHP (a softener used in PVC).

Looking up a specific chemical

California maintains a per-chemical detail page on P65Warnings.ca.govfor every listed substance. The detail page tells you where the chemical is typically found, the type of exposure most relevant to consumers, what steps reduce exposure, and the regulatory history. If you want the most thorough source, that is it. We deliberately do not paraphrase California's pages here — the official text is updated more often than this one would be, and we'd rather send you to the canonical source.

What this warning is not

• It is not a recall.
• It is not a statement that the product is illegal.
• It is not a statement that the product will harm you.
• It is not specific to children, pregnancy, or any single use of the product unless the warning text says so.

If a product is recalled, you will see that on the product page and in your account. Prop 65 warnings and recalls are completely separate processes.

Shipping a Prop 65 product outside California

If you live outside California, you may still see a Prop 65 warning on a product page. Sellers usually set the warning at the product level rather than the ship-to-state level because the same warehouse fulfills orders across the country. The warning is still factually accurate — the product does contain the listed chemical — California is just the only jurisdiction that requires the disclosure.

How to contact us

If you have questions about a specific warning, the easiest path is to use the "Ask the seller" link on the product page. The seller is the one who knows where the materials came from and whether an exemption applies.

If you think a warning is missing where it should be, or that a warning is on a product that genuinely does not contain the listed chemicals, write to help@wehoz.com. We will route the report to the seller and to our trust & safety team and follow up with what we find.

Sources

• California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment — oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65
• P65Warnings.ca.gov — www.p65warnings.ca.gov
• Statute text: California Health and Safety Code §25249.5 through §25249.13