Carcinogen benzene found in nearly 80 lots of sun care products
In late May, independent pharmaceutical watchdog Valisure petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recall sun care products they say contain unhealthy levels of the carcinogen known as benzene. According to Valisure’s findings, 78 batches of products had “detectable levels” of benzene, and 40 of those resulted in “significantly detected” levels of benzene.
Found in crude oil and cigarette smoke, benzene is an industrial chemical and human carcinogen. Unfortunately, it’s often used in the manufacturing of plastics and pesticides. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to benzene for long periods of time (more than 1 year) can be harmful. As outlined by Cnet in their article, such exposure has been linked to Leukemia, anemia, excessive bleeding, and decreased ovary size.
So why is benzene being detected inside of our sunscreens and sun care products? As David Light, Valisure’s founder explains, the issue seems to be from lot to lot or batch to batch. Not simply based on the brand or product. In Valisure’s press release regarding their findings, a Yale University professor stated flatly, “There is not a safe level of benzene that can exist in sunscreen products.” That is in direct opposition to the FDA’s stated limits of 2 parts per million.
For their part, the FDA says they’re taking the findings seriously, and will continue to monitor any new findings. Valisure is allowing concerned citizens to submit ideas of additional sunscreens and sun care products to be tested. To submit a sunscreen or sun care product to Valisure for review, follow the link below.
Valisure benzene study submission instructions: https://bit.ly/3goYi8M
To read the full story from Cnet, follow this link: https://cnet.co/3iDYu6C