Simone Smith
“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,”
David Light, founder, and CEO of Valisure
It is about that time; lounging on your deck, spending some time at the beach with your family, the sun bronzing your skin. Ahh! Summertime and all its glory. Skin specialists will tell you that before you head outdoors to worship the sun God, you have to make sure that you put on some sunscreen, to prevent you from getting skin cancer, but what if I told you that the very same product that you are using to protect your skin, might be causing you harm?
Valisure is a lab that checks medications, and health care products for quality. Recently, the company tested nearly 300 sunscreen products and found that 27% contained benzene. Fourteen of the products (5%) contained benzene at levels higher than 2 parts per million (ppm), which is the FDA’s recommended limit for benzene in medically valuable drugs that can’t be made without it.
For those who don’t know Benzene is a colorless or light yellow liquid that forms naturally but is also produced by human activities. For example, automobile emissions and the burning of coal and oil can release benzene into the air. It is also used in the manufacturing of some plastics, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. The issue is that exposure to high levels of benzene causes cancer in humans, particularly blood cancer.
The FDA says that benzene should not be used in the manufacturing of drug products except in special circumstances. Special circumstances include if their use is unavoidable and the drug product makes a significant therapeutic advance. In these cases, benzene levels should be limited to 2 ppm unless otherwise justified.
In light of its new findings of benzene in sunscreens, Valisure has petitioned the FDA to recall the 78 products and to conduct its own investigation into the manufacturing of these products. A full list of the sunscreen products with benzene can be found in the petition(https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-Citizen-Petition-on-Benzene-in-Sunscreen-and-After-sun-Care-Products-v9.7.pdf). Nearly all of the 14 sunscreen products with benzene levels above 2 ppm were sprays, but the chemical also showed up in lotions and sunburn-relief gels.
Now, this does not mean not use sunscreen this year, just take a look at the list of sunscreens in the petition, and find a product that has the legitimate amount of Benzene.
Enjoy your summer!
