PROP 65

As you may know, Proposition 65 (Prop 65) is a California initiative that became a state law in 1986 (most recently updated in 2016) known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Prop 65 and its implementing regulations set forth requirements that businesses are subject to when they, for example, sell merchandise in that state containing certain chemical substances.

California has published a list of more than 900 chemicals covered by Prop 65, including lead, chromium, nickel, and other elements, regardless of whether such substances may be naturally occurring in the environment. Businesses are required to provide a "clear and reasonable" warning before knowingly and intentionally exposing a Californian to a Prop 65 listed chemical if the exposure to the average consumer of the product exceeds threshold “safe harbor” levels. Brass products distributed by The Mercantile may contain lead. Although lead may only be present in trace amounts, it is listed under Prop 65 as known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Stainless steel products distributed by Merit Brass contain nickel and chromium. Even if they are in elemental form and non-leaching, they are listed under Prop 65 as known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm.

The Mercantile does not control or know our products' end uses. Therefore, The Mercantile cannot make any determinations regarding actual exposure levels to Prop 65 chemicals. The Mercantile recommends that companies review the Prop 65 regulations to determine the appropriate requirements for their specific application(s). If deemed applicable, the following warning is an example of what must be provided to purchasers and consumers of these products through labels or signage for retail sales, on websites for online sales, and/or in catalogs. Every end user is responsible for selecting products appropriate to their specific application.

Additional information concerning Prop 65 can be found at the following websites:
https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/ and http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html.

Sincerely,
The Mercantile