Air fryer cancer Prop 65 warnings seen in viral TikTok misleading

A TikTok video with more than 633,000 likes and over 40,000 shares shows a shopper concerned about the Recommend 65 warning label on an air fryer.

The TikToker said she was shopping at Target and was advised by a woman to be careful about the type of air fryer she buys because it can cause cancer and pointed her to a warning label.

“Look at this box. She said she has this. And she returned it because, at the bottom of the box,” said TikToker, pointing her phone at the Gourmia stainless steel digital air fryer box, “‘Warning: Cancer and Harm to procreate.’ What? So we probably won’t get any air fryers.”

VERIFY viewer Sherry asked us to review this claim.

Does the Prop 65 label mean the product can cause cancer?

The Prop 65 label does not mean that a product can or will cause cancer. In California, the labels are intended to better inform consumers that a product or location may contain certain chemicals that are on the state’s published list of potential carcinogens.

Prop 65 (Prop 65) is a California law that has been in effect since 1986. This measure requires products, buildings, and businesses in the state to be labeled if they may contain any chemicals that may contain chemicals. cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, unless there is a “negligible risk” of exposure.

“Exposure to these chemicals can occur when purchasing or using the products. Exposure can also occur in homes, workplaces, or other settings in California. By requesting this information, Proposition 65 allows Californians to make informed decisions about their exposure to these chemicals,” says the Proposition 65 website.

According to the Prop 65 website, the list of chemicals is updated at least once a year. It was last updated in February 2022 and has more than 900 chemicals on the list. Prop 65 labels are only required in California, but many companies stick them on products sold in other states to avoid creating different packaging for different states.

The American Cancer Society says there is no need for a label if a chemical compound does not pose a “significant risk”. The law defines “no significant risk” as exposure that will cause no more than one additional case of cancer in 100,000 people over a 70-year lifetime. The law has similarly strict limits on birth defects and reproductive harm.

But the Prop 65 label doesn’t mean the product will cause cancer. It just means it may contain one or more chemicals that can be harmful. It is also not limited to the chemicals used to manufacture the product; it includes chemicals that can be released while a product is in use.

For example, acrylamide is a chemical on the list that is formed when certain plant-based foods are cooked or processed at high temperatures – like in an air fryer.

The Proposition 65 website says appliances that use natural gas, such as certain types of stoves, dryers, and water heaters, can emit benzene, carbon monoxide or formaldehyde when in use. Some flame retardants and phthalates may be present in the plastic components of the device. Therefore, these products also have warning labels.

Theme parks are on Proposition 65’s warning signs list, although “visiting an amusement park will not necessarily expose you to significant amounts of the chemicals on the list.” of Proposition 65,” the website says. This photo shows a Proposition 65 sign at California’s Disneyland.

But carbon monoxide can be released from amusement park rides, lead can be in copper railings, and cigarette smoke can be inhaled near designated smoking areas. This is why warnings are required.

If you go to the dentist, you may be exposed to mercury used in dental fillings or nitrous oxide. So California dental offices need Proposition 65 warnings.

“If a warning is affixed to a product label or posted or distributed at a workplace, business, or rental property, the business that issued the warning knows or believes it is exposing individuals to a or more of the chemicals listed,” says Proposition 65.

Here are some places and products that require Proposition 65 warnings in California:

• acoholic drink
• Cannabis and THC products
• Diesel engine exhaust
• Dish
• furniture
• Passenger cars and motor vehicles off highways
• Petroleum products
• amusement train
• wood dust
• Amusement park
• Apartments and other residential rental properties
• dental office
• Designated smoking area
• Closed parking facility
• Many hotels
• restaurant
• service station
• Vehicle repair facility

Gourmia, an appliance manufacturer and air fryer brand seen in the viral TikTok video, told VERIFICATION in an email that there will be hefty penalties for failure to comply with Proposition 65.

A spokesperson for Gourmia told VERIFY: “Many of the elements listed on Proposition 65 have been routinely used in everyday consumer goods for many years with no documented harm.

“Due to hefty penalties and because there is no penalty for giving unnecessary warnings, Gourmia, like many other manufacturers, has chosen to provide Proposition 65 notices out of an abundance of caution to avoid possible legally liable. As a socially responsible company, we make sure that our products are safe to use,” said Gourmia.