As mentioned in our Safeguard (SG 177/24), the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved proposed amendments by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to its safe harbour warning methods.  The approved amendment will revise various sections of the warning methods under Article 6 to Chapter 1 of Division 4 of Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations.

The most significant change relates to the information displayed on the short-form warning label.  Following the amendment, at least one chemical must be listed for both the long-form and short-form warning labels. The OEHHA introduced this update to make short-form warning labels more informative to consumers.

The amendment will become effective January 1, 2025 and the updated short-form warning content will become mandatory on January 1, 2028, providing a transition period of three years.

Products labelled with existing short-form warnings during the transition period may continue to be sold indefinitely without needing re-labelling, reducing disruption to existing inventory.  Companies doing business in California, USA, need to be aware of and comply with such updates.

HOW CAN SGS HELP?
Our California Proposition 65 services offer your organization analytical testing and consultancy services to evaluate your products for composition and to recommend a pathway to Prop 65 compliance.  Through our Prop 65 evaluation screening program, we:

• Check your merchandise for high-risk chemicals before it leaves the distribution center for the California market
• Provide you with real-time results on your final product, so you can avoid distribution delays
• Keep you informed of the latest changes to Proposition 65 and update you on what you need to do to remain compliant