The Continued Success of Proposition 65 in Reducing Toxic Exposures

California's Proposition 65 now has been in effect for nearly twenty years, and it remains highly controversial. Media attention in recent years increasingly has focused on the statute's perceived excesses and some of its more sensational enforcement actions. The less frequently told story, however, is one of continued success in removing toxic chemicals from consumer products and industrial activities. This article discusses some of the more significant product reformulations triggered by enforcement of Proposition 65's warning requirement over the past five years, including reductions in lead in a wide variety of consumer products, and reduced exposures from toxins in children's playground equipment and portable classrooms. The article also describes enforcement actions that have led to warnings in grocery stores and restaurants about the dangers of mercury in fish for pregnant women and children. In many of these instances, Proposition 65 has filled gaps left by sluggish federal activity