Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, was initiated in California. Under this act, a list of chemicals that are known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm is published annually. This list contains more than 900 chemicals that can be found in consumer and industrial products or services, in addition to chemicals that are released into the environment.
As part of this California law, manufactures are required to provide warnings labels for products that contain any listed chemical. Some of these products sometimes end up in Canada. Products most likely to require Proposition 65 warnings include upholstered products, whirlpools, parallel bars, products with an electrical cord and items made of PVC. The state of California's advice regarding safe handling of most of these products is to wash your hands after handling.
For more information about Proposition 65, please refer to the following website: http://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/