5 varieties of Johnson & Johnson owned aerosol sunscreens recalled due to elevated benzene levels
Parent company Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a recall for 5 varieties of aerosol sunscreens after testing revealed “low levels” of benzene. Benzene as you know is considered a carcinogen, and has been linked to cancer.
Recalled Products:
NEUTROGENA Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen
NEUTROGENA Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen
NEUTROGENA Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen
NEUTROGENA Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen
AVEENO Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen
Johnson & Johnson stress in their recall that benzene is a carcinogen that all humans come in contact with daily. Whether it’s through inhalation, through the skin, or absorption. And as Johnson & Johnson points out, based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s own statistics, these daily interactions with benzene should not be enough to cause any “adverse health consequences”. However, Johnson & Johnson has made a decision to recall the above aerosol sunscreens “out of an abundance of caution.”
Recalls such as this can create a dilemma for some consumers because of the complexity of the issue at hand. For many Americans, especially those fair skinned, melanoma is a serious concern. So the use of sunscreen when outdoors is vital. Americans however should not be putting their health at risk in other manners when trying to limit their chances of contracting melanoma.
It seems until more studies can be conducted on benzene and its link to cancer, that you should steer clear of the above recalled sunscreens. And if you’ve purchased said sunscreen, you should return it to your retailer for a refund.
To read the full recall alert from Johnson & Johnson and the FDA, click here: https://bit.ly/2TGIner