posted on December 2, 2013
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a consumer update containing suggestions on how to reduce the amount of acrylamide in one’s diet. Acrylamide is a chemical found in certain foods that have been fried, toasted or roasted, and has been shown to increase the risk of cancer.
Acrylamide forms when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures for a long time, such as potatoes, cereals, coffee, crackers, breads and many other foods. It is not found, or is found in... full text
posted on November 27, 2013
Dr. Whitney Leeman has won an important victory against a defendant that supplies an ingredient to food and beverage manufacturers. A Court recently ruled that her Proposition 65 action against a supplier, which does not manufacture the food and beverage products sold to consumers, but whose product is contained in such food and beverage products, is warranted under Proposition 65.
On November 20, 2013, the San Francisco Superior Court rejected arguments attacking the viability of Dr.... full text
posted on November 25, 2013
Rep. Jay Kaufman and Sen. Ken Donnelly of Massachusetts have introduced a bill in the Massachusetts legislature that would create a program to identify and replace dangerous chemicals in consumer products where safer alternatives are available.
H235/S354, or An Act for Healthy Families and Businesses, would establish a technical assistance grant program to help consumer and worker organizations find safer chemicals for use in certain products. It would require businesses to... full text
posted on November 22, 2013
Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown announced yesterday his approval of California’s new flammability standards for upholstered furniture after a year-long effort to modernize the standards and reduce consumer exposure to toxic flame retardant chemicals. Such toxic flame retardant chemicals have been the subject of numerous Proposition 65 actions brought by clients of The Chanler Group.
Last year, Gov. Brown directed state agencies to revise California’s decades-old... full text
posted on November 21, 2013
The Chanler Group has published a list of furniture products that contain no detectable levels of tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), flame retardants known to the State of California to cause cancer.
TDCPP and TCEP leach from contaminated products and affix to dust, placing small children, toddlers, and infants at an increased risk of exposure via inhalation and/or ingestion. Dermal contact with the contaminated components also presents... full text
posted on November 20, 2013
The Chanler Group has launched its email newsletter, with the inaugural issue—containing several weeks of material—going out today. The newsletter will contain select blog entries about Proposition 65, environmental issues, renewable energy, and False Claims Act cases, as well as our clients’ recent enforcement actions and settlements. We encourage visitors to sign up for our newsletter by clicking the Subscribe button below:
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posted on November 18, 2013
Anthony Held, John Moore and Whitney Leeman--clients of The Chanler Group--served thirteen new 60-Day Notices of Proposition 65 Violation last week. The notices were served to companies offering products such as hand tools, bags and accessories for sale in California containing chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, without the required health hazard warning. TCG's citizen enforcers allege that the companies' products contain the phthalate DEHP and the heavy... full text
posted on November 15, 2013
Furniture/Today, the business newspaper of the furniture industry, has announced that it has added a Proposition 65 session to its 2013 Leadership Conference. The session will educate attendees about Proposition 65, what it requires for compliance and what it means for manufacturers, suppliers, importers and retailers in the industry.
Proposition 65 requires companies offering products for sale in California containing chemicals known to cause cancer and/or reproductive harm to first... full text
posted on November 13, 2013
Researchers with the nonprofit Ecology Center tested 58 common picnic products sold at 10 major retailers and found that the majority of them contain a carcinogen or reproductive toxicant. The results are available at HealthyStuff.org.
Products were tested for lead, phthalates, flame retardants, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, among others. The researchers found that 96 percent of the products contained at least one or more chemicals of concern, and that one-third of the products... full text
posted on November 11, 2013
The Chanler Group has negotiated two settlements with Chinese manufacturers in the past several months for Proposition 65 violations. Hangzhou GreatStar Tool Co. and DAP Inc. have agreed to reformulate their products to virtually eliminate DEHP and to pay civil penalties totaling as much as $65,000, 75 percent of which will go to the State of California to protect and enhance public health and the environment. This is the first time that an American consumer protection statute has... full text
