Why am I being warned about potential exposure to chemicals from passenger vehicles and off-highway motor vehicles?
- Some chemicals from passenger vehicles and off-highway motor vehicles are on the Proposition 65 list because they can cause cancer and/or birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Proposition 65 requires businesses to determine if they must provide a warning about exposure to listed chemicals.
Passenger vehicles and off-highway motor vehicles can expose you to chemicals through their use and operation, and when they are serviced or maintained.
- These chemicals include carbon monoxide and engine exhaust, which are produced when vehicles burn gasoline and diesel fuel; some phthalates, which are used to make plastics flexible in vehicle upholstery and interiors; and lead, which can be found in lead-acid batteries and some vehicle parts.
How does exposure to the Proposition 65-listed chemicals at service stations and vehicle-repair facilities occur?
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- During pregnancy, some chemicals from passenger vehicles and off-highway motor vehicles can pass from mother to baby.
How can I reduce my exposure to Proposition 65-listed chemicals at service stations and vehicle-repair facilities?
- When refueling your vehicle, avoid skin contact with the fuel. Stand a few steps away from the nozzle to reduce exposure to any fuel vapors that may be released into the air.
- Minimize your exposure to exhaust from the engines of passenger and off-highway motor vehicles.
- Always start and operate vehicle engines in a well-ventilated area.
- Avoid idling vehicle engines, where possible.
- Whenever practical, do not stand next to operating vehicle engines. Distance yourself from the source of the exhaust.
- Keep your vehicle engine running cleanly by performing regular maintenance, as recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer.
- Wear gloves when servicing or maintaining vehicles, and work in a well-ventilated area.
- Wash your hands after servicing vehicles or pumping gasoline, and before preparing food, and before eating.
- Assure adequate ventilation inside your vehicle. Open the windows and doors of your vehicle when it is new, and do so regularly thereafter to bring in outdoor air. In general, set the ventilation system to allow outside air to enter the vehicle when driving.
- Wipe up dust in your vehicle regularly, using a damp cloth or a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, if possible.
For more information:
General Fact Sheets and Resources
- US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
- California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
California Air Resource Board (CARB) - CalRecycle
- Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
Proposition 65
- California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)- Proposition 65: Background
- Proposition 65: The List of Chemicals
- Proposition 65: Fact Sheets
