Jeremy M. Gernand, PhD, CSP, CRE
Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Safety Engineering
John and Willie Leone Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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CA Prop 65 Had No Effect on Exposure


Notifying consumers about risk is important but needs to account for exposure, potency, and dose and not just the toxic profile of the chemical in question. CA’s prop 65 did not reduce chemical exposure on average, and encouraged companies to switch to unlisted chemicals which are less understood: https://bit.ly/46KPcx0 

Should a chemical that can cause cancer in 40% of individuals at dose of 1 nanogram of the chemical per kilogram of bodyweight have the same warning as one that can cause cancer in 2% of individuals at a dose of 1 gram of the chemical per kilogram of bodyweight? Does it matter if the product contains 500 grams or 5 micrograms of that chemical? Or should each just be labeled: “contains a substance that could cause cancer”? The world is complex, and simple messages are important, but not when they decrease understanding. A simple scale could account for dose, toxic potency, and uncertainty, and increase public understanding more than the current warning system.