Held v. Nathan Sports Inc.

The parties involved in the case Held v. Nathan Sports Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on October 20, 2015.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. alleged that Nathan Sports Inc. (“Nathan”) sold fitness vests with vinyl/PVC components containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (“DEHP”) and hydration bladders with vinyl/PVC tubing containing the phthalate chemical diisononyl phthalate (“DINP”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.  

As part of the agreement, Nathan agreed not to sell any fitness vests with vinyl/PVC components or hydration bladders with vinyl/PVC tubing in California after the Santa Clara County Superior Court enters the Judgment, unless the products contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP or DINP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Nathan has also agreed to provide the above reformulation standards to their vendors and instruct them to comply expeditiously.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $66,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.