California Disclosure - Proposition 65

The Missing Piece Puzzle Company, LLC is a jigsaw puzzle manufacturer in rural Richland, NJ. The building is thought to be constructed in the early 1950s and was previously used by potato growers who specifically cut and froze the first frozen french fries. From there, the building was used as a sign shop that manufactured and sold highway construction signs. There are possibly other non-disclosed uses of this building.

This disclosure should, in some form, be present on every website shipping into California. Every large online site has a notice like this, and feel it is prudent to carry the same notification.

Prop 65 - What is Proposition 65?

This warning is appearing now because of a California law passed in 1986. You will hear it called Proposition 65, but its formal name is the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Proposition 65 requires warnings to be placed on the website of any maker or distributor of products in the State of California that contain any of the 975 plus chemicals considered by the California Air Resources Board to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Since the law was passed, California has added chemicals to and deleted chemicals from the list. Many of the elements listed are common everyday items. Any company that operates in California sells products in California, or manufactures or distributes products that may be sold in California is subject to complying with Proposition 65 requirements. While no product at The Missing Piece Puzzle Company, LLC knowingly contains any of the currently listed common materials, there is no restriction on putting the warning up as a 'safe harbor.' Our inks, paper, and materials, to the best of our knowledge, do not contain any of the listed materials.

We are proactive and are including the warning to meet Proposition 65 requirements. There are penalties for not complying with Proposition 65, and failure to include the warning may result in a civil penalty of $2500 per day, therefore, we feel that it is our duty to add this to our site. The warning used is one that is considered to comply with Proposition 65 consumer warning requirements.

What is it and why was it created? Proposition 65, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, was created by the State of California to address residents' concerns with exposure to toxic chemicals. Originally, the proposition was intended to protect drinking water sources from toxic substances, although it has recently been expanded to a much larger spectrum. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Warnings (about Proposition 65) are everywhere: parking lots, hardware stores, hospitals, and just about any decent-sized business." We are required to list the warning if we employ 10 or more employees, which we do not, but we want to be open and transparent and prudently warn our customers for their own protection.

Our products are made from American-made raw materials, cardboard that is recycled but may or may not be imported, and hardware sourced through distributors located within the United States and abroad. Our inks are purchased from Epson and we are unsure as to where they source their products.

At the time of this writing, there are over 975 chemicals on the California list labeled as a carcinogen or reproductive toxins by the OEHHA (California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment). Many common chemicals and elements such as brass, nickel, wood dust, and grilled meat are included as well.

In order to comply with Proposition 65, we were advised to supply the following notice:

California Prop 65 WARNING: May contain chemicals or agents related to Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

This is the list of possible agents contained: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list