Why is there a warning on my product?

California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, now universally known as Proposition 65, is a law that applies only in the State of California. All products with ingredients identified by California must show a warning label on them stating reproductive or cancer harm, which is why the following is seen on our labels.

This raises some concern, as it should! But if you live in California, you see these warnings everywhere, grocery stores, restaurants, packaged foods, and a lot of supplements. The presence of a warning does not mean the product is harmful - the amount of the chemical that requires a warning is well below what is consider safe by the WHO and FDA. The absence of a warning does not mean the supplement is safer, the manufacturer could not be testing or be in compliance with Prop 65.

According to The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), Prop 65 in Plain Language:

For chemicals [such as inorganic Arsenic], the “no observable effect level” is determined by identifying the level of exposure that has been shown to NOT pose any harm to humans or laboratory animals. Proposition 65 requires this to be divided by 1,000 in order to provide an ample margin of safety. Businesses are required to provide a warning if they cause exposures to chemicals that exceed 1/1000th of the “no observable effect level.”

Some chemicals on the Proposition 65 list – such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic – are found naturally in the environment all over the world. Therefore, products that naturally contain these substances can be required to carry a Proposition 65 warning notice on their product label. These chemicals are found in nature, and they are going to show up in products made from, and grown in, nature.

Each of our lots go through rigorous testing for compliance to Prop 65. With variations between lots, suppliers and herbs, we don’t know if a lot is going to pass prior to testing, so a warning is included on all labels to be in compliance with Prop 65.

You can email us - hello@zipnzen.com to inquire about the Certificate of Analysis for any product, please include lot number and date of purchase, we are happy to share these in an effort to be transparent.