But, doesn’t lead cause cancer and reproductive harm, like the label says?
A. Proposition 65 regulates substances for which harm is shown under any circumstances, such as experiments with laboratory animals or when humans are exposed under unusual circumstances. As an example, the California EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has determined that lead is a carcinogen in laboratory animals when lead acetate (a more soluble form of lead than is often found in nature) is fed in substantial quantities. Lead tends to accumulate in the kidneys of these animals and eventually causes cancer of the kidneys. EPA has not determined whether lead is a carcinogen for humans; to determine that, it has examined data from humans working in heavily contaminated factories that process lead; kidney cancer has not been observed as a result of such exposures, and there is conflicting data as to whether such workers experience more cancers than others. The factories are cleaner now, so getting new human data is no longer possible. The label provides the standard wording for the P
