Case Number: SLS No. 98-011
Title: Prop 65: Calcium Supplements and Antacids

Case Files: Case (14 pages)  |  Exhibits (46 pages)

Teaching Note:

• SLS No. 98-012 (8 pages)
• (Request Access to Teaching Notes and Materials)

Author: Mary J. Decker, Case Writer; Barton H. (“Buzz”) Thompson, Jr., Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law

Abstract: This case describes the investigation of lead in calcium supplements and antacids conducted by the California State Attorney General’s Office and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The NRDC and Attorney General’s Office both file lawsuits to enforce Proposition 65’s warning requirement and wrangle over settlement provisions with each other and major calcium product manufacturers. Will these legal actions have the unintended effect of discouraging some people from taking the dietary calcium supplements they need for good health?

Key Words: Proposition 65, Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, calcium supplements, antacids, lead, lead poisoning, enforcement, settlement.