Over the years we have had customers ask us about the Proposition 65 warning displayed on the packaging of Earthpaste toothpaste. This warning is on the Earthpaste toothpaste because of the natural bentonite clay that forms the base of several Redmond Life products (including the Earthpaste).
Since bentonite clay is extracted from the earth, it contains trace amounts of earth-based and naturally occurring elements, such as lead. Because of this, the State of California in the USA requires a Proposition 65 statement on the product that says it may not be appropriate for some women and children - even if there is only a miniscule amount of lead in their products.
Interestingly, the natural levels of lead in soil are about 50 and 400 parts per million and the Redmond Earthpastes contain less than 20 parts per million (see Redmond Clay Elemental Analysis for more information).
Even though we are not in California, Redmond publishes this on their packaging because it is not possible for Redmond (or most other companies), to control where their products are ultimately sold, especially with the continuing rise of e-commerce sites. For this reason, Redmond provides the Proposition 65 warning for all products, no matter where they are sold, even though the warnings are only intended for Californian customers.
Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that may cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm under certain circumstances. California’s Proposition 65 is not a food or product safety law, but a notification law that uses very stringent standards to establish when notifications are required. Consistent with that conservative approach, Redmond provides Proposition 65 warnings. Although you should always take heed of warnings, the presence of a Proposition 65 warning does not necessarily mean that a product is unsafe.
By requiring this information to be provided, Proposition 65 enables Californians to make informed decisions about their exposures to these chemicals. Proposition 65 also prohibits California businesses from knowingly discharging significant amounts of listed chemicals into sources of drinking water.
The official name of Proposition 65 is the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 and the list was first published in 1987. It now has over 900 substances listed on it and is required to be updated every year.
However, certain listed chemicals and elements are naturally occurring and are widely distributed throughout the environment in air, water, soil, rocks and natural clay. As a result, these types of chemicals and elements are often found in commonly eaten foods even though they are not intentionally added to the food.
Healing clays like bentonite have a high concentration of minerals including silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and potassium. It also absorbs and removes toxins, heavy metals, impurities, and chemicals such as lead, cadmium, aflatoxin and others from the body.
For many years, clay has been used as a natural binder. It binds and holds minerals as well as toxins and is therefore fantastic to use internally as well as externally to draw out inflammation and toxins from the body.
Bentonite clay is a unique clay due to its ability to produce an “electrical charge” when hydrated. Upon contact with fluid its electrical components change, carrying a strong negative charge which bonds to the positive charge in many toxins.
When it comes in contact with a toxin, chemical, or heavy metal, the clay will absorb the toxin and release its minerals for the body to use. Bentonite also helps get oxygen to cells as it pulls excess hydrogen and allows the cells to replace it with oxygen instead.
Bentonite clay is useful for a multitude of purposes, including:
For more information on bentonite/montmorillonite clay, click on this LINK for an interesting article published by the National Library of Medicine, Center for Biotechnology Information about the use of bentonite clay as a natural remedy.
Redmond is committed to selling products that are safe to use and that also comply with all applicable laws.
We hope that this article eases some concerns about the Proposition 65 warning label. For any other questions or concerns about this toothpaste or our range of products or ingredients, please get in touch with our Ethics and Research team on the following email - ethics@santosorganics.com.au
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