The state of California has enacted the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 generally referred to as "Proposition 65". Proposition 65 is a far reaching law and applies to any company that operates in California, sells products in California, or manufactures products that may be sold in or brought into California.
Proposition 65 requires warning labels on any product that contains or may contain any of the 700-plus elements that California Air Resources Board considers harmful. Many of the elements listed under Proposition 65 have been routinely used in everyday consumer items for years without documented harm.
The penalties for not complying with Proposition 65 are steep. As a result of the steep penalties and because there is no penalty for providing an unnecessary warning, Chippewa Boots and many other manufacturers have elected to provide the Proposition 65 notice out of an abundance of caution in order to avoid the potential for liability.
You may have seen the following warning label on our products:
⚠ Warning: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
We appreciate your concerns about the California Proposition 65 warning placed on our footwear. The label does not mean that our products will necessarily cause cancer or reproductive harm. While we believe our products are not harmful when used as designed, we provide the warning as a result of the California law.
For more information about Proposition 65 visit www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/getNSRLs.html.