According to an online news report posted on cnn.com, several popular aerosol spray antiperspirants have been recalled due to Benzene contamination. Benzene is a known cancer-causing substance, and the chemical was found in more than half of 108 batches of deodorant body sprays and antiperspirants from 30 different brands, according to a citizen’s petition filed […]
According to an online news report posted on cnn.com, several popular aerosol spray antiperspirants have been recalled due to Benzene contamination. Benzene is a known cancer-causing substance, and the chemical was found in more than half of 108 batches of deodorant body sprays and antiperspirants from 30 different brands, according to a citizen’s petition filed this month with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to the FDA, Benzene is not to be used in the manufacturing process for products or drug substances because Benzene is a Class One solvent with “unacceptable toxicity.” The FDA did permit the “temporary” use of Benzene in certain hand sanitizers during the coronavirus pandemic. The FDA set the upper limit to 2 parts per million.
The products affected** by the recall include the following Old Spice and Secret body sprays:
**The recalled products must have an expiration date before September 2023.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the permissible level of Benzene is only five parts per billion (ppb). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also established a “goal of 0 ppb for Benzene in drinking water, and in water such as rivers and lakes because benzene can cause leukemia.”
Procter & Gamble issued a voluntary recall of 17 different types of Secret and Old Spice antiperspirants “out of an abundance of caution.” Several other brands of aerosol spray antiperspirants have not been recalled. These aerosol spray antiperspirant brands include Sure, Suave, Tag, Equate, Brut, and Right Guard. These products were found to have Benzene levels at or above two parts per million, according to David Light, CEO of Valisure. Valisure is an independent laboratory that tested the aerosol spray antiperspirants and filed a petition with the FDA to mandate a recall of the contaminated products.
Valisure states that it has tested several different brands of antiperspirants and deodorants, which have tested positive for Benzene. The following brands allegedly had Benzene levels up to two parts per million: Right Guard, Summer’s Eve, Soft & Dri, Power Stick, and Victoria’s Secret.
Unilever, the maker of Suave products, stated to CNN that the company takes all safety matters seriously and that the company is conducting an investigation into the Valisure assertions concerning its two Suave antiperspirant aerosols. CNN reported that no other companies gave a comment concerning the Benzene contamination before the publication of their article. However, the Personal Care Products Council, an industry association that speaks on behalf of more than 600 consumer product companies, issued a statement. The statement said, “Benzene is not an intentionally added ingredient in body spray products; however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as product manufacturers, are aware that it may be present in food and drug products at very low levels.”.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Benzene is created by both artificial and natural processes. The chemical is dangerous because it can trick the body’s cells into not functioning properly.
The National Cancer Institute states that Benzene exposure is very dangerous and can increase a person’s “risk of developing leukemia and other blood disorders.”
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) states that exposure to “high levels of Benzene in the air can cause death, and if you spill benzene on your skin, it may cause redness and sores.”
Chemical testing performed by Valisure found “concerning levels of Benzene” in several batches of P&G products. The brand that is the most contaminated with Benzene were two lots of an Old Spice “Pure Sport” antiperspirant, which contained 17.7 and 17.4 average parts per million of Benzene, according to Valisure. Mr. Light stated that this amount of Benzene contamination is “nearly nine times the upper limit of 2 parts per million the FDA has set for emergency use.”
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