ALEXANDRIA, Va.—With a May deadline looming, eyewear companies are taking steps to comply with a California rule that requires them to warn consumers and workers in the state if they come into contact with a product containing Bisphenol A (BpA), a chemical used in polycarbonate lenses and frames that has been linked to health problems.

As VMail previously reported, in 2015 the State of California "relisted" BpA on its Proposition 65 list of substances known to the state to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive toxicity. Companies have until May 11, 2016—one year after BpA was added to the Prop 65 list—to label products containing BpA and place signs in workplaces notifying workers if materials they may come into contact with contain the chemical.

Until recently, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) said it would publish a "safe harbor" list for products using BpA. The list would determine whether or not chemical exposures above the safe harbor level would trigger a Prop 65 warning label on its products packaging, or if a sign was needed at the workplace.

However, The Vision Council reported this week that OEHHA has declined to publish the safe harbor list, in effect requiring all companies selling or manufacturing products with BpA to list its presence or be subject to possible legal action after the May 11 deadline.

The Vision Council has published information about Prop 65 compliance, including a webinar, on its website. Click here for a PDF of the webinar slides.