Tile Club takes our responsibility to our customers very seriously, and that includes consumer awareness about the materials in our tiles. 

You may see a warning on our products regarding California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. It is intended to help Californians make informed decisions about protecting themselves from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. The Proposition requires the state to maintain and update a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.  Proposition 65 is designed to inform consumers. This is not the same as a regulatory decision that a product is “safe” or “unsafe”.

We have this warning in place because almost all glass and ceramic/porcelain tiles have some content of crystalline silica, which falls under the guidelines for a Proposition 65 warning per the state of California. Some installers may experience exposure to it while cutting the material.

Tile Club recommends using a wet saw to cut glass or ceramic tiles. According to some studies, cutting with a wet saw reduces exposure to respirable crystalline silica by almost 90%. Some studies show that exposure to crystalline silica from cutting glass tile is very minimal (75-fold below the threshold established in Prop 65 regulation).

We also recommend wearing a face mask while cutting/installing tile, grout, mortar, and sealant as this will further reduce the chances of breathing in silica or other materials. 

While not all of our tiles contain crystalline silica, other materials may be shaped or packaged in a facility that may use or contain chemicals on the warning list.