Why Most Appliances Have a Prop 65 Warning (+ Brands That Don’t)

What is Prop 65

Proposition 65 is a warning label for Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Any product that is sold in California will have this label even at retailers outside of California. 

The list contains naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals. It is updated yearly and there are currently 900 chemicals on the list in 2023. 

Exposure Limit?

Technically this label is for “significant exposures” and the chemicals need not be listed if “the exposure is low enough to pose no significant risk of cancer or is significantly below levels observed to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.” 

However, in reality the exposure risk is not usually calculated and you will still see the label if the products contains only trace levels of the Prop 65 chemicals or even when the chemicals are enclosed within the product and there is no reasonable way to gain exposure to them. 

Are Companies Adding This to Everything?

It does seem like there are companies that add this to all their products even though they might not contain a chemical on the list, if the exposure is extremely minimal, or exposure is not expected with regular use. 

There is no penalty for providing an unnecessary warning, this part is frustrating to me. 

You will often see the statement that a company “has elected to provide the Proposition 65 notice out of an abundance of caution in order to avoid the potential for liability.” 

However when it comes to appliances, they do likely contain quite a few Prop 65 chemicals, they are not being overly cautious in declaring that Prop 65 chemicals are present. The real question and uncertainly around appliances comes down to whether that exposure is really large enough to be of concern, especially since the chemicals are largely enclosed within the appliance. 

I’ll go over which Prop 65 chemicals are found in washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, microwave ovens, and dishwashers, and which brands have the label and which brands don’t, as well as how to minimize your exposure. 

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Which Prop 65 Chemicals Can Be Found in Appliances:

1. Phthalates may be present in plastic components of appliances (specifically in flexible vinyl) according to the Prop 65 website. Electrical wiring is often coated in vinyl, and there may be other PVC tubes or hoses. 

2. BPA can be found in plastic (PVC or polycarbonate) components of a appliance. For example, I’ve seen it listed as a warning on toaster ovens.

3. Styrene is also something I have seen a toaster oven company disclose. Though they did not say where in the appliance it was coming from. This could be a component of rubber or of insulation in some appliances.

4. Flame retardants may be present in plastic components of appliances according to the Prop 65 website. Electrical wiring and cords also usually contain flame retardants. 

5. Antimony: Tamara Rubin has found that most appliance electrical cords will test positive for Antimony (as a component of added flame retardants). When she tests electrical cords of appliances, she normally finds the level in the range of 5,000 to 15,000 parts per million (ppm). 

6. Arsenic: Tamara says she often finds trace Arsenic in black plastic handles of kitchen tools and appliances. She believes it is likely a contaminant of the black pigmentation. In one test she found extremely low levels of Arsenic in the black plastic handle of a kettle (3 +/- 1 ppm). This is safe, by any standard she explains, though it’s still a Prop 65 Chemical. 

7. Lead: is almost always a component of brass parts, and it can be found in plastic, solder, electrical cords, nuts, painted parts, and more in appliances. 

8. Nickle: is part of stainless steel. 

9. Cadmium: Tamara has found trace Cadmium (13 to 22 ppm) in borosilicate glass of a kettle. This is not unusual, says Tamara.

10. Bitumens: is used in the surround of many dishwashers.

11. Other Proposition 65 chemicals may also be present in enclosed components of the appliance (such as printed circuit boards). During normal use, consumer exposure to these chemicals is expected to be negligible according to the Prop 65 website.

Minimize Exposure to Prop 65 Chemicals From Appliances

Most of these chemicals are found in internal parts, and some are found in extremely low levels.

Flame retardants and phthalates do tend to leach out into household dust and so to minimize exposure to these chemicals, minimize your exposure to dust:

• Clean floors regularly, using a wet mop for hard surfaces and a HEPA vac for soft or hard surfaces. The HEPA component is important as it picks up these tiny contaminants (and is one of the best interventions you can make toward a healthy home).
• Wipe up dust regularly, using a damp cloth free of chemicals. 
• Wash your hands after touching the electrical cords of appliances. 
• Wash your hands before preparing food and before eating.

Appliance Brands With and Without a Prop 65 Warning

Please note that brands can change this warning at any moment and that some websites that sell the products may not display the warning even if it exists. This info below is subject to change at any time and is only as accurate as websites were at the time of writing.

1. Washing Machine Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With a Prop 65 Warning: Maytag, Samsung, Whirlpool, LG, GE, Bosch, BLACK+DECKER, Magic Chef, Midea, and Amana all have the warning. 

Without a Prop 65 Warning: Washing machine brands without the Prop 65 warning include Equator, Miele, and Electrolux.

2. Fridge Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With a Prop 65 Warning: Frigidaire, Samsung, Whirlpool, LG, GE, Magic Chef, Hisense, Haier, KitchenAid, Bosch, BLACK+DECKER, Kenmore, UNIQUE, Smeg, IKEA, and more, all have the warning. 

Without the Prop 65 warning: I’ve not seen any fridge brands without the Prop 65 warning.

3. Microwave Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With Prop 65 Warning: Magic Chef, Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, LG, KitchenAid, Maytag, Frigidaire, Sharp, BLACK+DECKER, Bosch and more.

Without the Prop 65 Warning: Microwave brands without the Prop 65 warning include Panasonic.

4. Oven Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With Prop 65 Warning: GE, Whirlpool, Samsung, Frigidaire, KitchenAid, LG, Bosch, Haier, Maytag and more.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: One brand I have seen without the warning is Mueller. Also, Mielle says that all Prop 65 Warning chemicals are fully enclosed and encapsulated to ensure there is no exposure. 

5. Dishwasher Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With Prop 65 Warning: Whirlpool, Samsung, GE, Maytag, LG, Frigidaire, Bosch, KitchenAid.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: One brand I have seen without the warning is Mueller.

6. Blender Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With Prop 65 Warning: Ninja, GE, Oster Pro 64 oz. 3-Speed Brushed Nickel Silver Blender.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: Vitamix 2500 and all Vitamix blenders, Blendtec Classic 570, Cuisinart Hurricane Pro, Waring CB15, NutriBullet Pro, Hamilton Beach Wave Crusher, Oster Heritage Classic Series.

7. Food Processor Brands With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With a Prop 65 Warning: Ninja, GE, KitchenAid, Cuisinart has a prop 65 warning on the box, though it’s not on the Home Depot site.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor with Bowl Scraper Attachment (plastic work bowl), NutriBullet 7-Cup Food Processor (plastic work bowl), VEVOR 42-Cup Capacity Commercial Food Processor Grain Mill Electric Food Cutter (stainless steel work bowl).

8. Toaster Ovens With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With a Prop 65 Warning: Black+Decker, GE, KitchenAid.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: HYSapientia Air Fryer Convection Oven, Oster Digital Air Fryer Oven, Hamilton Beach Toaster Oven Air Fryer Combo with Large Capacity. Please see my article on non-toxic toaster ovens if you want to select options without PFAS and see a review of these three.

9. Dehumidifiers With & Without Prop 65 Warnings

With a Prop 65 Warning: GE, Frigidaire, Keystone, Honeywell, Whirlpool, VISSANI.

Without a Prop 65 Warning: JEREMY CASS 125 pt. 8,500 sq.ft. Commercial Grade Dehumidifier with Pump.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

Buy me a kofi to support the research behind this blog.