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Previous: (Just for fun) Wonderments | Main | Next: ATM receipt
November 2, 2005 12:03 AM
Broken: Disney product disclaimer
Andrew Tonkin points out:
Not all that broken, but certainly ironic and unfortunate. Actually, from a customer communications point of view, it is pretty broken.
On this listing for a Disney gift item, two pieces of a legal copy of wildly different urgency wound up getting smooshed together:
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm. Sorry, no gift boxing available.
Not only do you get cancer, but it doesn't even come in a box. Alas.
The logic is broken:
"known to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm"
So it definitely causes one of these things, but they have no idea which...
This has nothing to do with Disney, and everything to do with labelling regulations in the State of California. The warning label is a direct result of Cali's Proposition 65.
http://www.prop65clearinghouse.com/FAQ.html
One can argue whether prop65 is broken. The list of chemicals that cause this warning to be required currently stands at 750. I don't know how many products carry these warning labels, but from a usability perspective, if the labels become commonplace, they will simply be noise that is ignored. Perhaps somebody from California can provide some insight.
Speaking as a Californian, Prop 65 is definitely broken. The upshot of it is that nearly every business in the state has to post a warning label, and it becomes background noise.
"Alcohol, when associated with alcohol abuse" is one of the items on the list, so essentially all restaurants and bars post the sign and customers learn to ignore it.
Yeah the CA warnings are a little overdone. They again what do you expect of a State that thought that Arnold could solve their problems. ;-)
To California's credit there are very very few lawsfrom any state which should not be featured on this forum.
Prop 65 is maybe not broken, but sure is confusing to the other 49 states. As a North Carolinian, I called GE about something on the Christmas tree lights my family bought.
I bought one of those silicon bracelets at Disneyland on sunday and it had the same warning... But living in California, I've never seen this warning before on anything besides leaded items...
_@_v - i was gonna get onea those till i looked at the label. i don't mind the cancer stuff but no gift boxing? well that was the deal-breaker...
I heard a comedian once say that we should take off all the warning labels... maybe it would help weed out the stupid people in our society. You know like the warning label from McDonald's about HOT coffee or the Windex bottle stating "not for contact lenses". Duh! I wish Walmart sold common sense.
I really like this one. I think it belongs in a conceptual art museum.
Speaking of which, Mark or somebody should do just that and make a Museum of Bad Design, with the best examples from here. I know I'd visit it.
Is it radioactive? Otherwise don't you have to ingest a piece of it or at least handle it a lot to get contaminated by any carcinogen I have heard of. (Of course I am not a doctor so I suppose there may very well be several I have never heard of)
Any product containing Lead is req'd to have this disclaimer due to California's strict rules. You'll see it on anything from Christmas lights to fishing tackle.
Then they should at mention precautions which should be taken. As is the note is useless and only serves to possibly discourage people from buying this product.
For example at a construction site you will see signs warning you to stand clear because of a danger of falling objects. A sign at the entrance saying only "Caution your head may get smashed in." with no further explanation would be unacceptable(at least the CSST here in Quebec would not accept it)
(Of course neither would the "Office de la langue française" (language police) unless it also said "Attention votre tête pourra être écraser" in a bigger font).
I dont know what is more disturbing, the fact that two such very different bits of information are sharing the same tag: the fact that cali. seems to care about cancer and the rest of the us states dont?: or the fact that this is Disney: shouldnt Disney having the national defeciet in its payroll exhibit a little social consciousness and maybe not product cancer causing toys? Whats up with all this business about no smoking in California; yet you can buy your kids toys that can cause cancer? Am I the only one who sees this as totally contradictory! At least cigarettes are engaging, fun, and interactive; unlike some cheaply molded poisonous mickey mouse doll.
if you look at the link however you will see that this is a table lamp. Not something small kids are usually allowed to play with.
"At least cigarettes are engaging, fun, and interactive" What the... wait a minute. Mr. Reynolds? Is that you? It's been years! Let's do lunch!
Broken has got its utility.Why to think of cancer.By the way, who knows what is there in future kept in store for him ?
This is not funny I have an eight year old daughter whom has suffered thru cancer treatments twice!!!
Radiation, Chemo and surgery and we keep asking how. We are non-smokers no drugs just boring family here yet my daugher has thousands of Disney items in her room and on her back since she was a baby so if this is true I am angry!! This disclaimer is to vague and what old products are made with death in store for our children.
Joke when you see your childs life dangling by a thread!!!!!
Take a chill pill Sue.
These prop 65 warning lables are on everything! They've even considered putting them on potatoes. Yes--potatoes have carcenogens. Not just pesticide residue, but something that happens to the starch when you cook it.
Disney Products do not cause cancer. (Nausea, on the other hand....) GET A LIFE!!
Hey if you dont like the idea of getting cancer from ciggaretes get the ones with the other healthrisks like low birth weight, etc.
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Previous: (Just for fun) Wonderments | Main | Next: ATM receipt
That's alright, just grab some cigarettes. They'll give you cancer AND come in a box. No worries! (except of course for the money you spend to get the cancer and then having it)
[First!]
Posted by: mussorgsky112 at November 2, 2005 12:21 AM