# "known to the state of California to cause cancer"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 15, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725 "2007-08-15T20:35:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Wonderwall6129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonderwall6129)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/1 "2007-08-15T20:35:10Z")
Hi,
I was plugging in this lamp I have, and I noticed this little tag on the cord that says something along the lines of “Warning, this cord contains some materials and/or chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and other serious health defects”. Well, like the paranoid person I am, I washed my hands about a million times…
My questions are:
1. What exactly does this all mean? I’m a little foggy on the vague-ness of the whole warning.
2. Why won’t they tell me what chemicals exactly are hazardous?
3. What’s with the “California” thing? Do they mean scientists who live/study in CA found this out?
Thanks in advance.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/2 "2007-08-15T20:42:14Z")
[http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short\_list\_name=p65](http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short_list_name=p65)
> [@](#):
>
> Description
> California’s Proposition 65 - the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act - was passed by voter initiative in 1986. Proposition 65 includes a requirement that the governor of California publish a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Listed chemicals cannot be discharged into sources of drinking water, and warnings must be provided before exposing the public to any significant amount of a listed chemical.
> Chemicals are placed on the Proposition 65 list in one of three ways:
>
> 1. Recommendation by the state’s qualified experts. The state Science Advisory Board includes two subcommittees that review toxicity data and identify carcinogens and reproductive toxicants.
> 2. Identification by recognized authoritative bodies, including
>
> - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)
> - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA)
> - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
> - National Toxicology Program (NTP)
> - International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
>
> 1. Requirement by state or federal government agencies that the chemical be labeled or identified as a carcinogen or reproductive toxicant.
A listing of all the chemicals follows.
Does this mean anything for a lamp? Unless you start chewing on it, probably not a whole lot. Even then, probably not much either.
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### Author:  [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/3 "2007-08-15T20:43:08Z")
It’s labeling required by Proposition 65 passed in California.
[http://www.prop65news.com/](http://www.prop65news.com/)
At the link there is actually a Chemical List. I presume it’s just easier to slap this random disclaimer on things (and believe me, there’s chemicals in everything, so this warning is EVERYWHERE) than to actually tell you what specifically makes the cut. So you usually just see the warning but with no specifics.
For what it’s worth, I’ve had to sign a disclaimer at every place I’ve worked that says there are such chemicals present. And I think I signed one when I bought my condo, too.
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### Author:  [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/4 "2007-08-15T20:44:14Z")
Dang. Typed too slowly.
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### Author:  [@Wonderwall6129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonderwall6129)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/5 "2007-08-15T20:48:39Z")
Haha thanks guys. I really am way too paranoid.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/6 "2007-08-15T20:49:27Z")
You know, this labeling thing is getting ridiculous. Awhile back, I bought my GF a computer mouse. When she opened the package, it had one of those stupid warnings, and I had to plead with her that it wasn’t going to kill her to touch it, that it was just about what was **inside** the mouse. It’s like those mattress tags…
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/7 "2007-08-15T21:21:08Z")
Huh. That would explain the signs on all the doors in the Holiday Inn we stayed at last spring.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/8 "2007-08-15T21:25:19Z")
[QUOTE=postcards]
Huh. That would explain the signs on all the doors in the Holiday Inn we stayed at last spring.
[/QUOTE]
You’re kidding…
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/9 "2007-08-15T21:25:53Z")
Yep, it seems that just about everything could be slapped with one of those labels since their limits are set so low. Every NMR standard we have (for calibrating and setting shims and the like), for instance, has one of those warnings because they all contain CDCL3 or C6D6 or the like. And look at that list: alcoholic beverages, aspirin, inhalable fibers and particles of all kinds, and mustard gas. I’m not too worried about getting various mustards in my commercial products. Not that the list doesn’t have value, but it seems like overkill the way it’s used.
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### Author:  [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/10 "2007-08-15T21:26:13Z")
Those signs are everywhere, as **scout** mentioned, which pretty much means they are pretty much useless.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/11 "2007-08-15T22:38:23Z")
[QUOTE=postcards]
Huh. That would explain the signs on all the doors in the Holiday Inn we stayed at last spring.
[/QUOTE]
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> You’re kidding…
Not kidding. Cigarette smoke has to be listed, as well as alcohol from the bar, so the smoking rooms have been labeled. Most hotels and restaurants just put Prop 65 warnings at the “primary” public entrances, which means they get lost in the clutter of the credit card logos, Better Business Bureau signs and whatnot that are near the front door.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/12 "2007-08-15T22:40:28Z")
I wonder if the ink on the signs is hazardous - that could lead to a recursive end-of-the-universe scenario! 😃
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### Author:  [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/13 "2007-08-15T23:15:27Z")
They really should just add a disclaimer to the ‘Welcome to California’ signs at the borders. This state contains chemicals known to cause cancer.
I doubt anyone but tourists and newcomers even notices the signs anymore.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/14 "2007-08-16T02:19:13Z")
Previous on same topic … [Is my apartment going to kill me? (California's "Hazardous Chemicals" signs) - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=391818)
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### Author:  [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/15 "2007-08-16T13:41:08Z")
I wouldn’t worry about it. Those chemicals only cause cancer in California. I’m safely nested in Ohio…that’s along way from that carcinogenic western state.
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### Author:  [@Potato\_Pancakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potato_Pancakes)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-the-state-of-california-to-cause-cancer/415725/16 "2007-08-16T14:47:47Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu]
I wouldn’t worry about it. Those chemicals only cause cancer in California. I’m safely nested in Ohio…that’s along way from that carcinogenic western state.
[/QUOTE]
I’m glad none of these substances or chemicals are known to the state of Arizona to cause cancer. It’s much safer here!