Carcinogen Found in US Sunscreens - Should You Be Worried?
A private scientific investigation of
hundreds of sunscreens and after-sun care products by the American
virtual pharmacy called Valisure found that over a quarter of the
samples they tested were contaminated by benzene, a known human
carcinogen. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know
about benzene and how it got into sun care products.
The study finds benzene in 78 sunscreens.
The survey tested 294 individual samples of sunscreens and after-sun
products by 69 brands. Benzene, a known carcinogen, was found in 78 of
the samples, with 14 products (mostly spray sunscreens) exceeding the
regulated amount of the carcinogen. The researchers point out that some
of the products they tested had three times the allowed FDA limit of
benzene.
Benzene Sunscreens cream
What is benzene and how did it get into the
sun care products?
Benzene is an organic solvent, a type of substance used in the
preparation of drugs or the cleaning of equipment in the pharmaceutical
industry. Some of these solvents, including benzene, have a volatile
nature and pose a danger for human health in higher-than-regulated
concentrations. For benzene, this concentration is >2 parts per
million (ppm). Studies in factory workers show that inhalation,
ingestion, and skin or eye contact with benzene could be dangerous for
one’s long-term health.
According to the ICH, a European medical agency that helps control
pharmaceuticals, “Since there is no therapeutic benefit from residual
solvents, all residual solvents should be removed to the extent possible
to meet product specifications, good manufacturing practices, or other
quality-based requirements.”
But sometimes, these solvents are not completely removed in the
manufacturing process, and they end up in products. This is exactly what
we see in some of the sunscreens and after sun products, some of which
are manufactured by reputable brands like Neutrogena, EltaMD, and Banana
Boat. For a full list of sun care products tested by the lab, click
here. Valisure, the company that initiated the study, filed a petition
for the recall of the sunscreens that contained high concentrations of
benzene.
Should you be concerned?
While the FDA’s response to these findings is pending, the issue
attracted a lot of public attention and speculation. Even though the
allegations against these specific sun care products are concerning,
it’s important to understand that benzene isn’t only present in
sunscreens. In fact, the same online pharmacy found benzene in hand
sanitizers.
Overall, the presence of benzene in
cosmetics seems to vary from batch to batch. Besides, all the studies
that involved the carcinogenic activity of benzene were based on factory
workers who inhaled and worked with this dangerous chemical for long
periods of time. Compared to this, the exposure one gets by using
sunscreen or hand sanitizer that contains 2 ppm of benzene is nothing.
Overall, the presence of benzene in
cosmetics seems to vary from batch to batch. Besides, all the studies
that involved the carcinogenic activity of benzene were based on factory
workers who inhaled and worked with this dangerous chemical for long
periods of time. Compared to this, the exposure one gets by using
sunscreen or hand sanitizer that contains 2 ppm of benzene is nothing.
Even more importantly, though, these findings should not deter you from
using sunscreen. As the company’s own news release pointed out, “It is
important to note that not all sunscreen products contain benzene and
that uncontaminated products are available, should continue to be used,
and are important for protecting against potentially harmful solar
radiation.”
Let’s not forget that these harmful effects include skin cancer, the
most common type of cancer in the United States. As Dr. Adam Friedman, a
board-certified dermatologist pointed out in a statement, “It only
takes one blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence to nearly
double a person’s chance of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of
skin cancer, later in life.”
The bottom line is, don’t let these findings discourage you from wearing
any of the numerous safe sunscreens and protecting your skin from
cancer-causing UV rays.