Johnson & Johnson announced on Wednesday that it is recalling five of its sunscreen products after some samples were found to contain trace amounts of benzene, a carcinogen, CBS News reports. A carcinogen is a chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure, and benzene can damage the immune system and prevent cells from functioning properly.
The products affected are all packaged in aerosol cans and include Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen and four Neutrogena sunscreens — Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Invisible Daily Defense aerosol sunscreen and UltraSheer aerosol sunscreen. The recall covers all can sizes and SPF levels, which were distributed nationwide through retailers. Benzene is not an ingredient used in the sunscreens and Johnson & Johnson has said that it is investigating how it made its way into the samples.
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“Daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” Johnson & Johnson said in its statement Wednesday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products.” The message added that people should use an alternate sunscreen to protect themselves from the skin cancer melanoma and Johnson & Johnson said it has notified the Food & Drug Administration of the recall.
CBS News previously reported that traces of benzene were detected in a number of sunscreens and after-sun products, according to tests conducted by online pharmacy and lab Valisure. Benzene’s effects vary by whether it was accidentally inhaled or ingested or gets it onto skin and clothing, and symptoms range from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and death, depending on the levels encountered.
“Benzene is one of the most studied and concerning human carcinogens known to science,” David Light, the founder and CEO of Valisure, said in the company’s statement. “Its association with forming blood cancers in humans has been shown in numerous studies at trace levels of parts per million and below. The presence of this known human carcinogen in products widely recommended for the prevention of skin cancer and that are regularly used by adults and children is very troubling.”
Johnson & Johnson is working to get all five products removed from store shelves and customers can obtain a refund by calling Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Care Center at 1-800-458-1673. More information is available at Neutrogena and Aveeno’s websites.
