Excerpted from the full length article in the Daily Californian:
Recently, five companies, including Anchor Blue, Zappos.com and Smart & Final, have been sued in Alameda County Superior Court by such citizens, who claim the businesses violated California law by failing to warn consumers about carcinogenic or birth-complicating substances in their products.
Anthony Held, a California citizen and engineer, filed a claim against Zappos on Feb. 8 because a pair of sandals the website sells allegedly contains dangerous levels of DEHP, determined by the state to be a carcinogen.
Another figure acting on the public's behalf, John Moore, filed suits on Feb. 15 alleging that four companies' products contain DEHP or DBP, a chemical suspected to cause reproductive toxicity and endocrine disorders.
Both men are represented by The Chanler Group, a law firm with offices in Berkeley that specializes in claims regarding California's Proposition 65.
Under the proposition, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, anyone acting in the public interest can send letters announcing that he or she might sue businesses who do not provide "clear and reasonable warning" of their products' toxicity in accordance with state health and safety code.
All chemicals known to cause health problems are compiled in a list by the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
