California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65) is one of the nation’s strongest consumer right-to-know laws. Approved by voters by a two-to-one margin, it requires companies to warn consumers if their products or processes expose them to chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Proposition 65 also prohibits the discharge of such substances into the state’s drinking water and allows civil penalties for violations.

As You Sow has been a leading enforcer of this landmark law, bringing hundreds of manufacturers and entire industries into compliance. Our approach combines science, advocacy, and accountability to drive tangible reductions in toxic exposure and pollution across California and the U.S.

We pursue innovative settlements that eliminate hazardous emissions, reduce consumer and worker exposure, and fund training programs that improve on-site safety. When settlements include restitutionary funds, we direct a share to community organizations working on toxics education and environmental justice through our grantmaking initiatives.

Our enforcement victories have made everyday life measurably safer:

1,4-Dioxane removed from Procter & Gamble laundry detergents used in homes nationwide.

Formaldehyde emissions reduced or eliminated from thousands of portable classrooms, protecting millions of California schoolchildren.

Mercury warnings established at grocery stores and fish markets to inform consumers, especially pregnant women, about high-risk seafood.

Lead and phthalates removed from children’s jewelry, herbal supplements, water valves, sports equipment, and vinyl goods.

Perchloroethylene, a known carcinogen, eliminated from hundreds of dry-cleaning facilities, including those in low-income neighborhoods.

Through enforcement of Proposition 65, As You Sow ensures that transparency and accountability remain central to public health protection. Each legal action strengthens consumer safety, advances corporate responsibility, and reinforces the simple principle that people have a right to know, and a right to live free from toxic exposure.