OEHHA Withdraws its Proposed NSRL and MADL for PCBs under Proposition 65

On April 12, 2012, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (“OEHHA”) proposed a No Significant Risk Level of 0.35 micrograms per day (μg/day) for polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) in foods based on the cancer potency value developed in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) risk assessment. and proposed a Maximum Acceptable Daily Level of 2.3 μg/day based on a primate study.  Exposures below the regulatory NSRLs and MADLs are exempt from warning under Proposition 65.  The proposed NSRL and MADL for PCBs would only have applied to environmental mixtures of PCBs that are in the food chain, such as are found in meats, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, and other food products.  On December 21, 2012, OEHHA withdrew its proposal saying only that its decision was based on comments it received.