… Passed as a ballot initiative, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 has resulted in warnings being affixed to everything from vinyl-covered Bibles to gas station pumps, advising that exposure to some 900 chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. Ever since the passage of Proposition 65, policymakers and business groups have argued over whether the law is effective in preventing people from ingesting and inhaling toxic chemicals, or just providing a payday to plaintiffs attorneys. Now, a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives has concluded that Proposition 65 has curbed exposure to toxic substances in California — and nationally. … The researchers analyzed concentrations of 11 chemicals placed on the Proposition 65 warning list and monitored by the CDC between 1999 and 2016. They included several types of phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics flexible; chloroform, a toxic byproduct from disinfecting water with chlorine; and toluene, a hazardous substance found in vehicle exhaust.