3 Firms Must Provide Cancer Warnings

Three companies have agreed to provide consumer warnings on mothballs, room fresheners and diaper pail deodorizers that contain a chemical known to cause cancer, the office of Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp announced Tuesday.

The products, which are found in an estimated 70% of homes in California, contain the chemical paradichlorobenzene, which has been identified by the state as a carcinogen.

The action against the three companies was filed under Proposition 65, the state’s anti-toxics law that requires businesses to provide a warning when exposing members of the public to a “significant risk” of cancer.

The companies named in the action, Willert Home Products, Excell Products and Sanitoy Inc., agreed to provide warnings on products that contain paradichlorobenzene. They also agreed under the settlement to place newspaper ads offering a refund to anyone who purchased the products without a proper warning.

The attorney general identified these products as containing the cancer-causing chemical:

Mothballs, mothball cakes and room deodorizers made by Willert Home Products and sold under the names Enoz and Reefer-Galler.

Similar products made by Excell Products and sold under the brand name Excell.

Diaper pail liners made by Sanitoy and sold under the name Nursery Needs.

Ed Weil, a deputy attorney general who handled the case, said studies have shown that a toilet bowl deodorizer containing paradichlorobenzene can expose people to 300 times the amount of the chemical considered safe under Proposition 65.

All three companies could have been liable for fines of up to $2,500 a day for each illegal exposure. Under the terms of the agreement, Excell Products will pay $27,000 but the other companies were not assessed any penalty.