California Prop 65

What are the warnings on invoices for products I receive from Parts Express?

Beginning in early 2014 we began to include the following warning with shipments to customers in California:

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

This warning is part of our effort to comply with the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (known as "Proposition 65"). The warning does not mean that our products will necessarily cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. While we believe our products are not harmful when used as designed, and we rely on our suppliers to help with this effort, we also provide these warnings to comply with Proposition 65.

What is Proposition 65?

Proposition 65 is a far reaching law and applies to any company that operates in California, sells products in California, or manufactures products that may be sold in or brought into California. Proposition 65 requires warnings to accompany any product that contains or may contain any of 800-plus chemicals appearing on the list administered by California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. The list includes naturally occurring and man-made chemicals. Many of the chemicals listed under Proposition 65 have been routinely used in everyday consumer items like (thermoplastic elastomer coated) wires, cables, power cords, plugs and connectors for years without documented harm. On rare occasions, listed chemicals are even "delisted."

Why has Parts Express decided to provide a warning?

Proposition 65 imposes strict penalties for noncompliance. While California establishes "safe harbor numbers" for listed chemicals, the costs of individually testing products that Parts Express sells and distributes is prohibitive (particularly when the list of chemicals is so expansive and subject to change on an annual basis).

As a result of the steep penalties and because there is no penalty for providing an unnecessary warning, Parts Express (like some other companies doing business in California) decided to provide the Proposition 65 notice out of an abundance of caution.

For more information about Proposition 65 we suggest that you visit: http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/background/p65plain.html