So you may soon start seeing one of these cancer warning labels on your Evergreen styrene products because dummies in California think everything causes cancer.



http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/list_changes/042216P65liststyrene.html

If you don't provide the stupid warning, you'll be sued and harassed.



Extra labeling = extra cost for businesses. O, California~

So does this mean that I can't keep a piece of model sprew between my cheek and gum to suck on so I don't get the model "DT's" when I'm away from my bench?

California mind trusts at their best.

Commiefornia at it's finest, I'm suprised you can even buy modeling suppliers like thinner and enamel based paint.

God knows in the state of Commiefornia you can't even think about saying the word gun, without filling out a 60 day back ground check.

I'm sorry if anyone here lives there, but Commiefornia has to be one of the worst states

And here I've been using my Dremel without a filter mask....

The People's Republic of Massachusetts is no treat either.

I know it's pretty nice here in New York but the taxes there can't possibly be as high as they are here....

Does this mean that they will discontinue menthol styrene?

No, it does not mean styrene products will be banned in CA. If you sell them without the cancer warning, you'll be sued like crazy and pay huge fines. Proposition 65 is a weird law that allows anyone ("bounty hunters") to sue you for not having the label.

Disgusting. California residents, with the exception of KitMaker's owner Jim (suck up suck up suck up ) and a few 100,000 others, have ruined the state and our legal system (notice I did not write "justice System').

There are good people in California. But it is being subjugated by The Tyranny of the Masses. Californians tell me that a big portion of Californians are down-to-earth sensible folks, yet the peculiarities of voting districts around big cities almost ensure that The Left remains in control. In Arizona and even Oregon (though I only spent a week there) people complain that Californians are fleeing the hell hole they created back home, yet bringing their bad habits and overbearing expectations with them.

Forgive the rant. Next post will be one of substance.

Modeling and modelers, for decades, has been under attack by forces that don't even know we're here. If you have a few minutes, this explains how the EU's tariffs almost killed model railroading: How Bananas nearly crippled the model railroading industry

Back in the early 1990s new EPA air quality standards about killed of U.S. production of model paint. Pactra, Floquil, Testors, etc., were crushed under new laws that made my lasts-a-year-or-two 1/2oz Olive Drab as dangerous to the future of humanity as the 1,000s of tons of particulates vomited into the sky each day by the auto industry.

I'd love to copy-n-paste the whole thing but I do not have permission, yet I will paraphrase from a public letter written by a major model railroad maker. The beloved product line of Cal-Scale brass detail castings (made famous to military modelers by the late Shep Paine in the 1970s) are no more because of EPA regulations; because major model railroad maker (MMRM) is a commercial entity, the few pounds of casting plaster used to make the 1000s of pieces are now categorized as HAZMAT, with the accompanying avalanche of regulations for storing/handling/disposing thereof. Yet university art departments, that go through 100s of pounds (probably per university) of it a year in sculpting classes, are exempt. MMRM discontinued other legacy models because the locomotives were mainly of cast metals (they already replaced lead decades before) and MMRM was being crushed by all the bureaucratic required to - goodness forbid - handle metal. C'mon, I'vE bun handlgni lwd forrfrr rdecdadess a n d it havst' hert my nun.

I wonder what Proposition 65 will do to MMRM and friends who make models with the evil plastic?

I fear shysters and bureaucrats will seal off the mine that feeds this Golden Age of modeling.

Okay, now my day is ruined.

People always bring up politics when they don't know what they are talking about.

It clearly says styrene and not polystyrene. There is a difference. Styrene is very toxic because of its reactivity in the human body. Polystyrene is made up of chains of the styrene molecules. In these chains, the styrene molecules are altered and joined together and lose their reactivity thus making polystyrene nontoxic. Another example is ethylene glycol (antifreeze) vs polyethylene glycol (a laxative).

Good point and I appreciate how you bring up the chemistry. The kit modeling industry (and us hobbyists are) is safe for now b/c the kits are made of polystyrene so Prop 65 does not apply to the kits (as of yet). However, at the manufacturing level (whatever manufacturing is left of in this country), if the styrene (liquid in its natural state) is used, then the facility and employer will be subject to all these regulations. Nevertheless, the inhalation hazards from dusts and solvents still exist for us (even though many manufacturers have switched to non-toxic acrylics for several years now). So the bottom line - liberals will keep making these laws that may threaten our hobby and we'll see happens.

Exactly! When was the last time a liberal actually took the time to look in to what they want to "ban"? To them it's all knee jerk reaction.

Ahem, ahem... I am proud to say that I am relatively liberal... And while I think that there are some things that should be 'banned' I, and many other like-minded people, like to first understand what the heck it is I am talking about and what the potential consequences or benefits are of having this thing banned. If I could I would attempt to ban blanket statements such as the two above as they wrongly group all liberals together and make it seem as though we like banning things. And... Wait a minute... Isn't there another group of lawmakers who also like to pass laws restricting what people can do? It's been in the news lately but I can't remember what it is... I seem to remember North Carolina and Alabama but I don't know why....

OK, let me rephrase and re-categorize so we don't go off topic - those liberals who support abusive laws like Proposition 65, which may threaten our hobby so we'll see what happens.

California is the poster child for banning things, and then proceeding with the "best interest" of the people argument. Ever heard of such knee jerk reactionary laws such as the "Bullet Button" if not, do some research on it.


The government needs to be kept in check by the citizens of the United States of America, not the other way around.

Why anyone would want more government in their life is beyond me.

A bit late but I had done some quick research. This new regulation would not affect us, when taken at face value. If you notice the little box at the bottom of the page linked to here, you'll see there's a CAS number listed. That number is 100-42-5. "A CAS number is a short string of text that refers to a chemical substance" and is assigned by the Chemical Abstract Services which is a division of the American Chemical Society.(http://metamolecular.com/cheminformatics/what-is-a-cas-number/) That's all well and good but I wanted to know how different styrene is from polystyrene. Well the CAS number for polystyrene is 9003-53-6. So knowing that, this means that the new regulation does not apply to the stuff we work with (or us) because they have two completely different CAS numbers. I continued on Google and came here: https://blog.americanchemistry.com/2016/04/what-makes-polystyrene-so-different-from-styrene-its-a-matter-of-chemistry-2/. This explained what the difference is between polystyrene and styrene. The below is all from this link above. Now styrene is a liquid (I don't know about you, but most of my models aren't liquid when I get then unless I decide to brazenly take a blowtorch to them for some reason). It's used in the manufacture of many materials like high performance plastics, car tires, carpet backing, reinforced fiberglass and, yes, polystyrene. Polystyrene is a powder or clear solid used in the manufacture of many consumer good like food containers, shipping cushioning and insulation (and we all know this hobby too). But an important fact is that once these products are manufactured (once the styrene is turned into polystyrene that is used in the finished product for example), they are inert! They're harmless once that happens.

Differences between the two:

Polystyrene is formed when styrene molecules join. It is an inert plastic and poses no threat. It's used in many food service packaging products and polystyrene foam is what those foam plates, bowls and cups are made out of. Polystyrene is known to be food safe since the 50s.

Styrene is a clear, odorless liquid that occurs naturally. It is even present in some foods like cinnamon, beef, coffee beans and more. Synthetic styrene is chemically identical to natural styrene.

But case in point, the Prop 65, when taken at face value, shouldn't apply to us, the end user, and would only apply to the kit molders based in California. When we get our kits, we shouldn't see these labels as we are getting polystyrene not styrene. The retailers get polystyrene and the suppliers get polystyrene. Unless there are model companies based in California who make their own polystyrene or supply DIY kits where you have to make your own polystyrene and mold your own sprues, this won't affect us because we never get styrene. Only the styrene suppliers and those who form polystyrene from styrene would be affected by this. And that's assuming they're based in California. So, finally, aside from possibly a small increase in price from any chemical or molding companies, we would be relatively unaffected.