ABSTRACT
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, known as Proposition 65, became law in November 1986 when California voters approved it by a 63 to 37 percent margin. To help industry determine whether a warning is necessary or when discharges into drinking water is prohibited, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has developed safe harbor levels. For chemical listed as carcinogens, the no significant risk level is defined as the level of exposure that would result in not more than one excess case of cancer in 100,000 individuals exposed to the chemical over a 70-year lifetime. Proponents of Proposition 65 point out that it provides Californians with information to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals. Proposition 65 has succeeded in reducing California air emissions of listed chemicals, such as ethylene oxide, hexavalent chromium, and chloroform, and the law has led to increased awareness of the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
