Marketers of consumer products, including foods, beverages, dietary supplements, OTC drugs, and cosmetics, should be evaluating their products, including product packaging, for the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) without delay. On May 12, 2016, the one-year grace period permitted by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) ends, and companies whose products expose California consumers to BPA must provide a Proposition 65 (Prop 65) reproductive toxicity warning to those consumers.
Importantly, California has not yet established a maximum allowable dose level (MADL) (i.e., a safe harbor level) for BPA, so a product that exposes consumers to any amount of BPA will be required to carry a warning for reproductive toxicity in females unless the company marketing the product has established an MADL in compliance with California regulations. As a reminder, Proposition 65 requires “clear and reasonable” warnings prior to exposure.