Product Liability Lawyer

In 2021, an independent testing lab, Valisure LLC published a report. It detected benzene- in a high quantity (up to 6 parts per million)- in 78 lots of sunscreen products from manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, CVS Health, and Banana Boat.

Benzene has been linked to cancer in humans and is defined as a carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

What is benzene and how are people exposed to it?

Benzene is a highly flammable, sweet colorless chemical. At room temperature, it is light yellow. It dissolves slightly in water while its vapor is heavier than air.

Benzene can be found in nature in volcanoes, forest fires, crude oil, and gasoline. Most of the exposure to benzene is due to human activities. It is widely used in dyes, drugs, detergents, rubber, pesticides, and shoe-making industries. Thus, people who work at such places are at a higher risk of exposure. Benzene is also found in low amounts in fumes from automobiles, factory emissions, paint, and certain industrial waste.

Effects of benzene exposure

Some immediate effects of exposure to benzene include dizziness, headache, vomiting, confusion, unconsciousness, and irregular heartbeat. Exposure to very high levels of benzene can result in death.

In the long-term, benzene can have serious effects on the bone marrow and red blood cells. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, long-term exposure to benzene can cause leukemia.

Research on the harmful effects of benzene

Many studies have concluded that prolonged exposure to benzene can cause blood-related complications.

A 2003 study in the journal Epidemiology concluded that benzene exposure increased the risk of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia by 7 times. Another study in the journal Cancer Causes & Control in 2007 linked benzene exposure to a three-fold increase in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In 2012, a research in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that people who were exposed to benzene had a 23% more risk of developing chronic myeloid leukemia.

With the link between benzene and cancer established rather convincingly, many many international agencies have classified benzene as a human carcinogen. These include the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The National Toxicology Program (NTP) defines benzene as “known to be a human carcinogen.”

Regulation by different agencies

Because of its harmful nature, benzene levels have been limited by different agencies. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) classifies a product containing 5% or more by weight of benzene as hazardous. The EPA is aiming to completely abolish benzene concentration. Currently, it limits the concentration to 5 ppb (parts per billion) for drinking water and an average 0.62% by volume in gasoline.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also set the limit of benzene in bottled water to 5 ppb. Additionally, it classifies sunscreen products as “drugs” and regulates after-sun products as “cosmetics.” However, there is no defined limit of benzene in drugs and cosmetic products.

Sunscreens that have been recalled

After the report by Valisure, public health experts voiced their concerns about the serious effects of sunscreens and other products that contained benzene. Consequently, Johnson and Johnson recalled numerous batches of its Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen products. Some of these are:

Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen, SPF 60
Neutrogena CoolDry Sport Water-resistant Sunscreen Spray- SPF 50/70
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Weightless Sunscreen Spray- SPF 70/100+
Neutrogena Beach Defense Spray Body Sunscreen SPF 50
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30/45
Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Dry-Touch Face Sunscreen SPF 50
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Water Resistant Sunscreen SPF 70
Coppertone Pure & Simple Kids SPF 50 aerosol sunscreen (5 oz)
Coppertone Sport Mineral SPF 50 aerosol sunscreen (5 oz)
Coppertone Pure & Simple SPF 50 aerosol sunscreen (5 oz)
Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Spray SPF 30

Can you file a lawsuit?

If you or your loved one has used any of the recalled sunscreens and were consequently diagnosed with a form of leukemia, you can file a lawsuit against the manufacturers. Cases have already been filed against Neutrogena Corp. and Johnson and Johnson Inc.

A top-rated product liability lawyer explains that you can claim compensation for your medical bills (including treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy), pain and suffering, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity and other appropriate damages.

Thanks to our friends at Champions for the Injured for this Information.

Sunscreens & Cancer