Cancer Warning Labels On California Products Are About To Get Big And Bold
The signs that are now required on products that contain any of the 900 or so chemicals that the state has listed as carcinogens will include a yellow triangular hazard symbol with an exclamation point. Companies have a two-year grace period to comply.
Los Angeles Times:
Those California Warning Signs About Cancer, Birth Defects Or Other Reproductive Harm Are Now Naming Names
As of Friday, consumers have to be told which of the 900 or so compounds “known to the state of California” to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm is in what they buy, touch, breathe or drink in the course of their day. The familiar and uniquely Californian signs, which hitherto had hinted ominously at “a chemical,” also will include a yellow triangular hazard symbol with an exclamation point, among other requirements that re-define what constitutes a “clear and reasonable” WARNING (written that way) under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, known as Proposition 65. (Mohan, 8/31)
California Healthline:
Cancer, Schmancer. In California, Coffee Is King
It turns out that California and the Trump administration do agree on at least one thing: Don’t mess with coffee. Trump’s hand-picked food and drug czar, Scott Gottlieb, said Wednesday that he “strongly supports” a proposal by officials in Sacramento to exempt the morning elixir from the state’s list of known cancer-causing compounds despite a court order to the contrary. (Ibarra, 8/31)
In other public health news —
Sacramento Bee:
Deaths Of Homeless People Surge In Sacramento County
The number of people who died homeless in Sacramento County jumped 75 percent last year, a sad reflection of a growing crisis in the region, officials said. According to figures compiled by the coroner’s office, 124 homeless people died in the county in 2017, compared to 71 the previous year. (Hubert, 8/30)
Los Angeles Times:
California Wildfires Fuel A New Push To Ban Smoking At State Parks And Beaches
After more than a decade of attempts to ban smoking at California beaches and parks, environmentalists have advanced new legislation to prevent lighting up in certain public places. ... Supporters feel this year’s devastating wildfires have bolstered their argument and given their proposals new urgency. (McGreevy, 8/30)