Dumbbells with cancer warning labels?

reesegrace1

I noticed today while shopping for dumbbells, that ALL of them have the "Proposition 65 from state of california warning label" stating that the dumbbells was made with chemicals proven to cause cancer. I was very concerned with that till i came home & googled that. And i read online that the plasticizer called DEHP that is used in the exercise equipment isn't really absorbed through human skin just by handling the dumbbells, but you would have to eat the dumbbell or chew on it and have it in your mouth to ingest the chemical exposure for it to be a concern. It also said that the law requires listing any substance that could cause just one case of cancer in 100,000 people over an entire lifetime -- a statistic doctors realistically cannot measure. Any study pointing to a substance causing some change in laboratory animal reproductive health, no matter how poorly executed, old, or unethical, becomes ground for it's listing. So i am going to go back to Academy Sports and buy those dumbbells. But i do plan to wash my hands after my workout after handling them, just for added safety. I am going to buy the CAP Barbell Rubber-Coated Hex Dumbbells. Any opinions?

Keto_Vampire

yes, don't eat your dumbbells...
I see this crap all the time, chemical harmful when injected directly into the blood stream but fails to do any harm via other means of administration (usually topical use). Gets slapped with warnings & claimed "toxic" by internet hippies who can't read or understand context. I think California should be a separate country at this point (just my opinion)

Gisel2015

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

yes, don't eat your dumbbells...
I see this crap all the time, chemical harmful when injected directly into the blood stream but fails to do any harm via other means of administration (usually topical use). Gets slapped with warnings & claimed "toxic" by internet hippies who can't read or understand context. I think California should be a separate country at this point (just my opinion)

Glady so we can elect our own leaders and don't have to put up with the DC *kitten*.

RunsWithBees

It might be a concern if you have pets like dogs that like to chew on things as they could ingest the substances. Babies tend to put everything in their mouth and adults that are mentally disabled (with dementia for example) have been known to ingest non-food items. These are scenarios that are highly unlikely to happen... but just might, so I suppose they put the warning on there to cover all their bases.

Tankiscool

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

yes, don't eat your dumbbells...
I see this crap all the time, chemical harmful when injected directly into the blood stream but fails to do any harm via other means of administration (usually topical use). Gets slapped with warnings & claimed "toxic" by internet hippies who can't read or understand context. I think California should be a separate country at this point (just my opinion)

Oh do I ever agree with you on this. They also ruined good gas cans as well.

I see this warning all over my fishing stuff as well.

Lenala13

According to California...my fishing rod causes cancer. 🤷🏼‍♀️. Honestly, unless you plan on eating your dumbbells, I wouldn’t worry about it. At this point, I can’t think of anything that doesn’t cause cancer in California.

collectingblues

California Proposition 65 thinks *everything* causes cancer. Don't worry about it.

MikePTY

Yeah that label is pretty much on all products sold in the US. We even get it on products sold internationally sometimes as manufacturers don't want to make seperate labels. I'll admit it freaks me out a bit sometimes but logically I know not to worry about it.

MPDean

Reminds me of the 5 foot tin bars (anodes) we used at work. The data sheet had a section on eye safety, apparently it was unlikely to happen.

whoami67

You may have also noticed that the store you were shopping in had the same warning sign outside, as does every establishment in California and every product you purchase in California. The state of California has determined that existing causes cancer and they have added a warning label. And very likely, you voted for it.

Sunshine_And_Sand

Apparently everything causes cancer in California. The list of things to earn the proposition 65 label has and probably will continue to get more and more ridiculous every year.
If you look at the list of things on it, a lot of them are "scary" chemical names that are harmless in the way you will actually use them but sound bad enough that a lot of people wouldn't question the "toxic" label. I've been remodeling and have seen the proposition 65 warning on just about everything I've used, including my table because "wood dust". Aloe Vera, alcoholic beverages, and a type of ferns also made the list.
Thanks to proposition 65 I know not eat the paint or inject into to my veins...

pondee629

So, California is, in reality, just crying wolf?

mph323

pondee629 wrote: »

So, California is, in reality, just crying wolf?

Mostly. The problem is that when drinking coffee appears to carry the same risk as drinking gasoline because the signs are just generic copies of the standard warning, most of us stop seeing the signs altogether, which completely negates the intended purpose.

NorthCascades

pondee629 wrote: »

So, California is, in reality, just crying wolf?

It's true, there's really no such thing as cancer, this is just a hippie ploy to make people anxious.

Keto_Vampire

mph323 wrote: »

pondee629 wrote: »

So, California is, in reality, just crying wolf?

Mostly. The problem is that when drinking coffee appears to carry the same risk as drinking gasoline because the signs are just generic copies of the standard warning, most of us stop seeing the signs altogether, which completely negates the intended purpose.

It's alert fatigue; how practical is the warning for an object extremely unlikely to be consumed or injected intravenously but rather just handled topically? Warnings should make sense & have relevance, & explain risks & proper use, not just vilify chemicals

Yes, such a warning for DEHP in a plastic water bottle would make sense/have relevance...but for a pair of dumbbells seems very farfetched

pierinifitness

It’s the result of voters voting yes for Proposition 65. The lesson to be learned is to study all ballot propositions and vote intelligently. Hard to get rid of once on the books. It employs lots of people so the status quo brigade likes things the way they are.