Manufacturers have been quietly abandoning the use of toxic ingredients in their products, in response to California's strict chemical disclosure rules, a new study has found.

By promoting increased transparency about the presence of harmful substances in consumer goods, the Golden State's right-to-know law — called Proposition 65, or "Prop 65" — has helped shift markets toward safer items, according to the study, published on Wednesday in Environmental Science & Technology.

Under Prop 65, California maintains a list of about 900 chemicals known to cause cancer and reproductive issues. Products that contain any of these ingredients and that are sold in the state must include potential exposure warnings for consumers.

Whether the law has been effective at curbing the use of such substances — many of which are under no such microscope in other states — has thus far remained under debate.

Aiming to understand the impact, researchers from the University of California Berkeley and the........

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