Owner Manual

California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65, was
intended to protect California’s water sources and Californians from chemicals known to cause cancer,
birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Proposition 65 requires the state of California to publish a list
of all chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. It also requires the
use of warning labels on products sold in California which contain or may contain any of the substances
identified by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) as potential
causes of cancer, developmental or reproductive harm.
The California OEHHA’s list of chemicals is updated at least once per year. Since 1986, Proposition 65’s
scope has increased far beyond its original intention. The wide range of over 800 synthetic and
naturally-occurring substances in the California OEHHA list includes chemicals that are well known to
be dangerous, such as toluene and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), but also extends to common
substances like gasoline, alcoholic beverages, aspirin and wood dust, as well as common furniture
components and upholstery materials. Aspirin has been included since 1990. Wood dust was added in
2009. Substances are occasionally delisted as well. Saccharin, a common substance used in artificial
sweetener, was originally added to the list in 1989 but was delisted in 2001.
Wood dust is a byproduct of woodworking. According to the Report on Carcinogens
(https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/newhomeroc/roc10/wd_no_appendices_508.pdf), the volume of
exposure necessary for wood dust to become a carcinogen is an occupational hazard connected to the
use of machinery or tools to cut or shape wood or through handling of compost containing wood dust.
This volume of wood dust is not found on Winners Only products and our products do not require the
consumer to use machinery or tools to cut or shape the wood or to handle wood dust-containing
compost. However, because no specific volume of wood dust is identified in this report, in California all
wood products which have been machine-shaped or cut must include this warning.
As of July 2013, the warning required in California by Proposition 65 is as follows:
"This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer or birth defects or
other reproductive harm."
This warning is present on all of our wood furniture, regardless of where it is eventually shipped. It is
very similar to the warning you would see posted at a California restaurant or establishment in
California which serves alcohol, a California gas station, or a store in California which sells aspirin.
Though we don’t want to unnecessarily distress consumers in other areas, it simply isn’t feasible for us
to place the warning only on products destined for California.