Freezer Consultation Regarding Prop 65 for California- 1st Time Posting

Greetings!

My quest is to find a quality freezer brand and model. One of my challenges is to locate a freezer that is not indicated under California's Proposition 69 which indicates some such product contains chemicals known to cause cancer and all sorts of maladies. What's the point of investing into something toxic. I'm hoping some like minded permie has had these thoughts before and did some legwork in research. That's the power of community right? Even just being pointed in the right direction would be helpful. Some other specifications I'm wanting out of this is chest, fairly shallow, and large. I'm excited to figure this out since freezing is such an effective preservation method.

Zephr, Welcome!

My personal opinion after spending 8 years in California as an Environmental Compliance Manager in the construction industry and dealing with this stuff daily, is that Prop 65 has become a joke, which is unfortunate. It is supposed to be tool to identify risk, but so many companies are placing the label on their products as a CYA to provide a degree of separation of liability it means next to nothing now. I would recommend that instead of looking for something that doesn't have a Prop 65 warning on it, find a good freezer and research what's in it and why it has Prop 65 warning. Chances are it's the refrigerant. If exposed, COULD it possibly, maybe, someday, under certain circumstance cause cancer or a birth defect? If the answer is anything but an emphatic no then it gets a Prop 65 label. You aren't going to be exposed to the refrigerant unless you go and cut open the lines, so the risk is extremely low.

Freezers are made from sheet metal, paint, some plastics, copper and steel tubing, a compressor that will have copper in it, an insulation, and a refrigerant. There are some other bits in there like a thermostat and relays that could have lead contacts or possibly mercury. Prop 65. The insulation would be my biggest question. Off gassing of whatever is in that would be the only real risk.

That's my 2 cents on it.

Hello,

I just purchased a small freezer, but considering returning it after seeing the label regarding Proposition 65 and the risk for cancer.  Is this warning due to "off-gassing"?  How does one know if there is "off-gassing".  How in the world would one find this information (before it is too late).  Please HELP!  Thank you.

I highly suspect that Caleb's answer 2 years ago still holds true.  Your freezer is not going to off-gas the refrigerant.  If it does, it will stop working and they'd go out of business pretty quickly.  If the paints and other materials on the freezer off gas as they age, I'm guessing that isn't great but it's probably not what the Prop 65 warning is about.  

That warning is on just about every single piece of hardware in the hardware store weather it's applicable or not (I believe).