What is Proposition 65?
Proposition 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) is a California law that requires businesses that sell products in California to give clear and reasonable warnings before exposing people in California to chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
What is the Prop 65 list of chemicals?
California publishes and updates a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. It includes both natural and synthetic substances found in products, foods, workplaces, and the environment. The list is updated at least annually and contains hundreds of chemicals (e.g., certain solvents, plasticizers, heavy metals, pesticides, and combustion byproducts).
Here’s a link to the full Proposition 65 list: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list
What does a CA Prop 65 warning mean, specifically for lead?
A CA Prop 65 warning is a disclosure that an exposure to a listed chemical may exceed California’s risk thresholds; it reflects California’s precautionary approach to informing consumers. For example, lead is a Prop 65 listed chemical that requires a disclosure warning for exposures at 0.5 micrograms per serving.
Lead is also a controlled contaminant under FDA law. FDA uses risk-assessment reference values to determine the total dietary lead exposure in certain contexts. The risk-assessment reference values are not supplement specific limits but are used to evaluate overall dietary exposure, including from supplements.
NSF, an independent third-party organization that monitors LTH products uses a daily lead threshold of 10 micrograms per serving.
How does Life Time determine if LTH products need a warning?
Every batch of LTH product undergoes multiple rounds of quality control testing, including heavy metal screenings on raw materials, in-process blends, and finished goods.
If a finished product exceeds the FDA risk-assessment limits for heavy metals, we reject the product and will not sell it. If a finished product exceeds the daily NSF threshold, the product cannot be certified and LTH will reject it.