Proposition 65: What You Need to Know

Proposition 65, formally titled “The Safe Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986”, is a California law passed by direct voter initiative to protect drinking water sources from toxic substances that may cause cancer and/or birth defects. It was also designed to reduce or eliminate exposures to those chemicals generally, for example in consumer products, by requiring warnings in advance of those exposures. If you’re a resident of California it’s highly likely that you’ve seen many warning labels regarding Proposition 65 by now. They’re becoming ubiquitous because California has continued to expand the breadth of its “Right to Know” regulations regarding hazardous chemicals used in the manufacturing of the products we all buy, from baby food to barbecues, faucets to flashlights. While everyone should support regulations such as Proposition 65, it’s worth noting that the required levels for reporting these chemicals are actually below what’s considered hazardous. Currently there are over 1,000 chemicals on the Proposition 65 list, and more are added annually. California is the only state that has this requirement, though we have listed the warning labels on all of our products since we distribute throughout the United States.

It’s also worth noting that the list of chemicals is provided as a knowledge base for consumers. Our requirements as a manufacturer are to list up to two chemicals used in the manufacturing process, as described in the Proposition 65 requirements. It is impossible to manufacture our or anybody else’s products without using one or more of the chemicals on the list, so we are required to disclose this in a warning on the website listings. Inclusion of a chemical in this warning does not mean it is of a dangerous level, it is merely a statement that the product was used or present during the manufacturing process. For example, wood dust is a listed item. Our products are cleaned prior to packing, and there is an extremely minimal and unavoidable amount of residual wood dust remaining, however we are required to include this information on the warning label.

Now, you might be thinking “What about my Wyndham Collection products – are they safe?” The answer is YES – Wyndham Collection manufactures all of its products in compliant factories, using compliant materials that are CARB Phase 2 for Formaldehyde and TSCA Title VI compliant, and we will always do so. These are the toughest standards available in America. If this interests you, more information may be found here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm

“But my vanity had a smell when I opened the box.” This is perfectly normal, and to be expected. Most furniture will have little to no smell by the time it is ready for use, but if there is any residual odor it will clear up over the next month or so. We recommend airing out our, or anybody else’s, furniture by removing it from the packaging for a few days prior to installation. You should always inspect your order upon receipt anyway, just to be sure you received everything in good condition, so this is a great time to facilitate the release of any residual amounts of the normal volatile organic chemicals used in the finishing process.

We encourage you to research further so that you can rest assured that the furniture you’re purchasing is not hazardous to you or your pets. Please follow this link for more information: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/general-info/proposition-65-plain-language