Imagine you’re perusing the wares at a popular retail chain when you notice something strange. Nearly all of the products you pick up contain an ominous warning label. And they all indicate the same thing. That the chemicals made in the manufacturing of these products could lead to cancer or birth defects.
New Jersey-based TikToker Alisha (@lishygetsfitty) recently posted about her “insane” experience seeing all of the warning labels firsthand while shopping at T.J. Maxx.
However, numerous TikTokers didn’t seem as perturbed as she was by the discovery. They highlighted that the labels are posted in accordance with California’s Proposition 65 laws.
In her video, which has accrued over 149,000 views, Alisha shows off the plethora of labels on a variety of items.
Warning labels on T.J. Maxx items
Alisha shared how surprised she was to see this recurring message on item tags in the clip’s text overlay. “Wondering if anyone else has read the fine print when shopping bc I’m SHOOK,” she wrote.
The beginning of the clip features a ONEDESIGN Home product that retails for $10.00.
Another sticker details a California Proposition 65 Warning. It reads: “WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information: www.p65warnings.ca.gov.”
Her clip then cuts to another tag slapped with a $16.99 Marshalls sticker. The pricing has been affixed to what appears to be a product information tag which features similar messaging. “WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm – www.p65warnings.ca.gov,” it states.
Alisha doubles down on her shock in a caption for the video, writing: “This is actually insane ! I’m reading everything from now on.”
What is Proposition 65?
Prop 65 was passed in November 1986, per the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The law also referred to as its official name: the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.
Because of this law, the state of California must publish any chemicals that have been potentially linked to causing cancer or birth defects. The list of harmful chemicals is updated annually, and they can be viewed on this list provided by the OEHHA.
But this list doesn’t just reside in an online bestiary for concerned Californians to peruse at their leisure. Businesses are also required to inform customers if any of its products contain these potentially harmful chemicals. Additionally, companies are prohibited from dumping any of the contaminants on this list into drinking water.
Viewers responded to Alisha’s video, stating that they see prop 65 warning labels everywhere.
One commenter stated that the labels she saw on the in-store items were there because they were made with plastic. “It’s from the plastic. Most prepared food for restaurants have these on their boxes too just a fyi,” they wrote.
Another remarked that since she’s trained to spot them, she’ll see these labels pop up more and more. “You’ll start to see it on everything,” she said.
A popular home appliance, according to this TikToker, also features it: “Air fryers have that warning label too.”
One user said that the labels sound scarier than they actually are. “Okay so Prop 65 is a law in cali that says you have to label when a component could cause a disease. BUT they have to do it even when there’s no way of exposure,” they wrote, explaining that just because a product contains these chemicals, doesn’t mean that they are harmful to you. “For example, you would have to somehow ingest the metal from the lamp to be exposed. But exposure DOES NOT equal disease!”
Do Prop 65 labels actually indicate harm?
As this commenter noted, these labels don’t always mean the products are harmful. Think about all of the other US states that have stores selling the same products Alisha featured in her TikTok. There isn’t an epidemic of Americans in those areas dropping dead just because they didn’t get to see a warning sticker.
Less Cancer agrees with the aforementioned TikToker’s statement that prop 65 stickers aren’t a death sentence. “In most cases, using a product displaying a Prop 65 warning won’t cause harm,” the site states. “Even low levels of potentially harmful chemicals must be tagged, which mitigates the risk of exposure.”
However, it did state that folks “undergoing cancer treatment” and “pregnant women” may want to exercise caution. The New York Times added that while Prop 65 has been around since 1986, “e-commerce and lawsuits” are responsible for the new warning label influx. The outlet added that new OEHHA regulations implemented in 2018 required websites to post prop 65 compliant warnings as well.
“The Prop 65 label is like a noisy alarm that rings equally loudly about smaller amounts of low-risk substances and huge amounts of potentially harmful chemicals,” the NYT reports. “The labels don’t say how much of the chemical is present, or how much it would really take to make a person sick.”
@lishygetsfitty This is actually insane ! I’m reading everything from now on #fyp #foryou #cancer #californiaproposition65warning #reproductiveheath ♬ original sound – Kardashian clips 🎬
The outlet also listed other innocuous products that could contain their own warning labels. It references acrylamide, which is found in some roasted coffee beans and potato chips. It doesn’t mean your latte’s going to put you in the cancer ward, though.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the OEHHA, TJ Maxx, and Alisha via email for further comment.
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