Sunscreen Recall Targets 14 Popular Sunscreens Tainted with Known Carcinogen

AHA Publisher — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 07:00:20 +0000

Leah Zerbe, MS, NASM-CPT, NASM-CES via Dr. Axe – Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary sunscreen recall after benzene, a known carcinogen, was detected in 14 different spray sunscreen products. The recall only involves aerosol products, a type of sunscreen that DrAxe.com and many public health advocates have been urging people to avoid for years for a host of different reasons. Sunscreen Recall Details Johnson & Johnson’s July 2021 spray sunscreen recall includes 14 products in the following five sunscreen lines. All SPFs and sizes of the following lines are impacted across the United States. Consumers are urged to stop using these sunscreens immediately: 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 According to Johnson & Johnson, benzene is never used in any of its sunscreen products, and the company is actively investigating the cause of the contamination issue. Even before this voluntary, in-house batch testing, the sunscreen industry was feeling the heat. In May, Valisure, an independent laboratory, tested 300 popular sunscreen and after-sun products and found that 27% contained concerning levels of benzene. (These 222 products did not contain benzene, according to Valisure records, although some could contain other harmful ingredients like oxybenzone, fragrances and more.) “The FDA should set and enforce standards for chemical contaminants in everyday products like sunscreen so that consumers don’t need to rely on independent testing from labs like Valisure,” says David Andres, Ph.D., senior scientist at Environmental Working Group (EWG). The results of the Valisure testing in earlier this year prompted a petition urging the FDA to take stronger regulatory action to protect consumers from this known carcinogen. The petition lists sunscreen samples that contained benzene. ‘Out of an Abundance of Caution’ Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause leukemia or other cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, Johnson & Johnson states that the levels recently detected in some of its sunscreen products aren’t expected to cause negative health impacts. “Daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” Johnson & Johnson said in its statement Wednesday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products.” While levels may be low, public health experts say there is no safe level of exposure when it comes to benzene, particularly for children. Benzene can trigger DNA mutations that can set off health issues that won’t show up for years after exposure in some cases. Benzene is widely used in the United States and ranks in the top 20 percent of chemical production volume. Industries use benzene to create the following products: Plastics, including nylon and synthetic fibers Dyes Detergents Pharmaceuticals Pesticides Benzene also turns up in: Oil Gas Cigarette smoke Problems Plague Spray Sunscreens There are other problems when it comes to spray sunscreens, too. Proper sunscreen coverage is challenging, since aerosol sunscreen distributes unevenly on the skin. This often gives people the sense of false protection. It can also lodge deep into the lungs, and we don’t fully understand how this impacts human health yet, although scientists are actively researching this. To opt for the best sunscreens, look for products scored 0 to 2 on on EWG’s annual sunscreen safety report. (The lower the score, the safer the ingredient formulation.) Here are some recommended sunscreens with safer safety profiles, according to EWG: Badger Kids Broad Spectrum Natural Mineral Sunscreen Cream, SPF 40 Badger Sunscreen Cream, Unscented, SPF 30 Coppertone Defend & Care Face Sunscreen Lotion, Oil Free, SPF 30 Neutrogena Clear Body Breakout Free Oil-Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30 thinksport Everyday Face Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, Naturally Tinted, SPF 30+ Waxhead Sun Defense Skin Nourishing Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30 Conclusion Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary sunscreen spray recall involving 14 products in five product lines. The impacted product lines includes Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen sprays. Earlier in the year, independent lab testing found widespread benzene contamination in 27 percent of popular sunscreen and after-sun products tested. In general, avoid spray sunscreens. They contain chemicals that could lodge deep into your lungs and offer inferior protection due to coverage issues, according to EWG. Use EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens database to look for safer sunscreen options. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Sunscreen WARNING: Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in 78 Popular Sunscreen Products

AHA Publisher — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Damon Hines via NaturalHealth365 – Skin cancer affects more than 3 million people each year. Sunscreen is designed to protect us from skin cancer, but how safe are the popular brands we apply to our skin every summer? Here’s something to think about as the warm weather arrives: Sunscreens were first regulated by the FDA in the 1970s, long before current American guidelines for evaluating drugs were put into place. It should come as no surprise then that sunscreens didn’t undergo rigorous testing. However, what is shocking is that many of the sunscreens on the market today are more harmful than beneficial, and some even contain a cancer-causing chemical. According to a recent report by Valisure, an independent team of scientists that test the chemical composition of healthcare and medication products, benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical, was found in 78 sunscreen and after-sun products tested. In fact, “27% of samples tested by Valisure contained detectable benzene and some batches contained up to three times the conditionally restricted FDA concentration limit.” High Levels of Benzene Linked to Blood Type Cancers Benzene is a colorless or slightly yellow flammable liquid that’s naturally found in the environment. It’s often used as a solvent in manufacturing plastics and other products and is commonly found in gels, sprays, and lotions. While benzene is allowed in products like sunscreen up to a certain level, high concentrations of the toxic liquid are dangerous and can increase the risk of blood cancers like leukemia. But why is benzene, a toxic carcinogen, even allowed in these products on a small level? According to David Light, founder, and CEO of Valisure, “Benzene is one of the most studied and concerning human carcinogens known to science. Its association with forming blood cancers in humans has been shown in numerous studies at trace levels of parts per million and below.” Valisure’s report isn’t the first time the potential health risks of sunscreen have made headlines. Over the years, studies have linked the chemicals in sunscreen to everything from hormone disruption to bioaccumulation in organs and tissue to severe allergic reactions. In addition, there have been concerns that sunscreen prevents the body from making vitamin D. While most experts have concluded that sunscreens are unlikely to affect the vitamin D status of healthy individuals, the debate is reignited every summer. In other words, the real biological effect of sunscreen in your blood is as bad as a cloudy day at the beach. All the BURNING Questions About Sunscreen Safety Answered Valisure is currently urging the FDA to recall the sunscreen products that contain high levels of benzene. A full list of the sunscreen products can be found here, on page 12 of the citizen petition Valisure wrote to the FDA on May 24, 2021. As for which sunscreens are the safest, you can check out the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website and download the EWG’s Guide to Sunscreen. Here you will find a list of brands that contain safer ingredients, making it easy to choose a product that is the best fit for you. What’s the bottom line? If you plan to spend time in the sun this summer, make sure the sunscreen you apply is benzene-free and double-check the expiration date. Better yet, engage in a combination of sun protection methods: hat, umbrella, plenty of breaks, and time in the shade, along with benzene-free sunscreen. Sources for this article include: LiveScience.com BBC.com EWG.org To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

The post Sunscreen WARNING: Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in 78 Popular Sunscreen Products appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

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Sunscreen Recall Targets 14 Popular Sunscreens Tainted with Known Carcinogen

Sunscreen WARNING: Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in 78 Popular Sunscreen Products