Consumer Product News & Services

Bisphenol A is added to Proposition 65 List

By Crystal Johnson

What is Proposition 65?

Also commonly referred to as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, Proposition 65 is a California state mandate that requires the governor to publish a list of all chemicals that have been scientifically proven to cause cancer, contain reproductive toxicity or pose other dangers to the population at least once a year. As of 2016, that list currently contains 960+ different chemicals, with more being added all the time.

Bisphenol A

On May 11, 2016, all companies that currently have at least ten employees who are responsible for manufacturing, distributing or selling products to customers that contain the chemical Bisphenol A (also known as BPA) are now required to provide a clear warning on their product under Proposition 65. Note that in order to fall under these new rules, the product has to provide an exposure to Bisphenol A that is over the "safe harbor level," meaning certain low-risk exposure situations will not require the warning.

One of the most important things to understand about this new procedure is that the term "safe harbor level" has not yet been defined by the state government. The only way a business can avoid having to display the warning is if they can show that their product containing Bisphenol A does NOT pose a reasonable danger to consumers in terms of reproductive toxicity.

How ATS can help

ATS is currently testing for BPA with a detection limit of 100 parts per trillion (ppt) by Liquid Chromatography Mass-Spectrometer (LC/MS/MS). The LC/MS/MS is a very sensitive instrument that can detect organic compounds at ultra-low levels. ATS is accredited to ISO 17025 to perform BPA testing in accordance with ATS 367 Rev. 0. If BPA is detectable, ATS can partner with a board certified toxicologist to perform a more in depth study which includes a risk assessment.

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