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Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

valisure.com

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Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#81

Post by SloopJon »

I don't have a sense of how big a deal this is, but I had a totally random thought I after I read this:

> FDA currently recognizes the high danger of this compound and lists it as a "Class 1 solvent" that "should not be employed in the manufacture of drug substances, excipients, and drug products because of their unacceptable toxicity ... However, if their use is unavoidable in order to produce a drug product with a significant therapeutic advance, then their levels should be restricted" and benzene is restricted under such guidance to 2 parts per million ("ppm").

This reminds me of a story I heard about Kosher Coca-Cola. They had designed it such that its impurities were below a certain threshold. (Googling it now, the ingredient in question was glycerin derived from non-Kosher beef tallow.) However, the consulting rabbi explained that the threshold only applied to accidental impurities; you can't put them in on purpose.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#82

Post by nitrogen »

soheil wrote: post #45
Robotbeat wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sarcasm. After driving electric for a while (used are affordable... at least until the last couple months when the price of used cars went through the roof), the smell of gasoline seems especially pungent.

Funny you say that because I specially like the smell of gasoline, kind of like smell of glue or diesel exhaust. I know, kind of weird but I know a lot of other people who are in the same boat.

I've heard but cannot verify that eating more potassium will make it smell bad again. That is, that a mineral deficiency may cause some things to smell good that otherwise wouldn't.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#83

Post by ceejayoz »

TheManInThePub wrote: post #58
erulabs wrote: post #28

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders [1]. Combined with Neutrogena being more or less _very high_ in benezine content and J&J having a very deep suite of cancer treatment drugs [2]... This seems like a horrific story of a self-fulfilling product pipeline. I know they're a giant organization and suggesting conspiracy is a bit insane but I can'…

> Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders I asked this question in another post and did not get a reply. The US links sited state no evidence for talc causing cancer. A search of the NHS website also suggests no clear evidence [1]. Cancer Research (a respected UK charity) give a layman's summary (albeit focusing on ovarian cancer), stating no clear evidence and pointi…

> Is this because the US is so insanely litigious?

Part of it is the weird setup of jury trials for civil cases, especially impactful in cases revolving around fairly technical, detail-oriented stuff like malpractice.

Twelve randomly selected lay people may not be the best determiners of scientific evidence and in-depth statistical analysis.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#84

Post by swiley »

TheManInThePub wrote: post #58
erulabs wrote: post #28

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders [1]. Combined with Neutrogena being more or less _very high_ in benezine content and J&J having a very deep suite of cancer treatment drugs [2]... This seems like a horrific story of a self-fulfilling product pipeline. I know they're a giant organization and suggesting conspiracy is a bit insane but I can'…

> Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders I asked this question in another post and did not get a reply. The US links sited state no evidence for talc causing cancer. A search of the NHS website also suggests no clear evidence [1]. Cancer Research (a respected UK charity) give a layman's summary (albeit focusing on ovarian cancer), stating no clear evidence and pointi…

>The US links sited state no evidence for causing cancer.

It's benzine. It's a known carcinogen, no need for empiricism here.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#86

Post by reader_x »

mnd999 wrote: post #31
t0mbstone wrote: post #10

What if skin cancer was actually caused by sun screen? Wouldn't that be ironic, don't ya think?

Well that’s what this is saying, some sunscreens contain unacceptably high levels of carcinogens. It’s not a huge logical leap to go from there to some people getting skin cancer from the sunscreen. That doesn’t mean you aren’t also at risk of getting skin cancer from excess sun exposure.

My basic research suggests benzene exposure is not associated with skin cancer: “ Benzene works by causing cells not to work correctly. For example, it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells.” https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp

Anecdotally, my mother died of multiple myeloma, a cancer related to bone marrow and blood, which is often misheard as “melanoma” (but that’s a different cancer). Her oncologist told me her cancer was associated with benzene exposure, but until now I could not imagine how she might have been exposed.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#87

Post by kvna »

TheManInThePub wrote: post #58
erulabs wrote: post #28

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders [1]. Combined with Neutrogena being more or less _very high_ in benezine content and J&J having a very deep suite of cancer treatment drugs [2]... This seems like a horrific story of a self-fulfilling product pipeline. I know they're a giant organization and suggesting conspiracy is a bit insane but I can'…

> Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders I asked this question in another post and did not get a reply. The US links sited state no evidence for talc causing cancer. A search of the NHS website also suggests no clear evidence [1]. Cancer Research (a respected UK charity) give a layman's summary (albeit focusing on ovarian cancer), stating no clear evidence and pointi…

It’s presumably not the talc but the asbestos found in the talc deposits that makes its way into the baby powder

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#88

Post by soheil »

giantg2 wrote: post #48
soheil wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but hopefully you don't rub that stuff all over your face and just pump it into your car.

I got a bunch all over me while working on the jetski this weekend. Whee

It's important to keep in mind the exposure frequency, with sunscreen some people use it daily or more.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#89

Post by mikeyouse »

TheManInThePub wrote: post #58
erulabs wrote: post #28

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders [1]. Combined with Neutrogena being more or less _very high_ in benezine content and J&J having a very deep suite of cancer treatment drugs [2]... This seems like a horrific story of a self-fulfilling product pipeline. I know they're a giant organization and suggesting conspiracy is a bit insane but I can'…

> Johnson and Johnson - which just payed out on a case relating to cancer from baby-powders I asked this question in another post and did not get a reply. The US links sited state no evidence for talc causing cancer. A search of the NHS website also suggests no clear evidence [1]. Cancer Research (a respected UK charity) give a layman's summary (albeit focusing on ovarian cancer), stating no clear evidence and pointi…

We know that asbestos causes mesothelioma and that J&J baby powders contained asbestos since talc/asbestos are often found together in mines.

J&J knew for decades that they were shipping asbestos to consumers in a powder form that's regularly inhaled -- they ghost-wrote and sponsored studies to deny that asbestos existed in their products and lied to the FDA in their disclosures..

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsona...

It seems that most talc doesn't cause cancer -- but some talc has "rather high" amounts of asbestos in it -- which we know causes cancer.

Re: Benzene detected in many sunscreen products

#90

Post by sergiomattei »

rchiba wrote: post #15

I found this article through a friend of my wife's who is a skincare expert. Check your cabinets. I actually found the Neutrogena lotion that we use in the table of affected products! List of affected products: https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-Citizen... List of unaffected products: https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Attachment-A-Tab...

Yikes. Had a bit of a scare: living in Puerto Rico, I regularly use Walgreens SPF50, Neutrogena sunblock and After Sun gel.

The closest UPC was the After Sun, but mine was a couple of digits off.

Makes you think what stuff you're putting on that you don't know about!

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