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By Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen
July 16 (Reuters) – The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating how a carcinogenic chemical ended up in Johnson & Johnson sunscreens, after the company said it carried out internal testing and found low levels of benzene in some, the regulator said Friday.
J&J, which issued a voluntary recall of the five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand products, began testing after Valisure – an online pharmacy that tests its products for contaminants – found benzene in dozens of sunscreen products and asked the FDA to review it in May.
“The root cause of the benzene found in the recalled sunscreen products is the subject of an ongoing investigation,” said FDA spokesperson Jeremy Kahn. “We will continue to monitor the manufacture and marketing of sunscreens to ensure the availability of safe sunscreens for US consumers.”
Valisure chief executive David Light said in an interview on Friday that he believed the benzene would likely be attributed to contaminated raw materials and that he didn’t think the problem was inherent in aerosol sunscreens, or to sunscreens in general.
“There is probably the most evidence of raw material contamination,” Light said. He said this is because the contamination was found dispersed among brands, and even within brands, suggesting it was unlikely to be a problem with the chemical active ingredients. or minerals.
Valisure has also found benzene in products made by companies other than J&J. CVS has halted sales of two of its sunburn cure products, which were featured in Valisure’s petition.
The market for solar products was around $ 8 billion worldwide last year, and J&J sold around $ 620 million of its brands. In the United States, the market was around $ 1.6 billion and J&J sales were around $ 290 million, according to EuroMonitor. Shares were flat Friday at $ 168.12.
Benzene is a chemical frequently used in manufacturing processes to make other chemicals, said Dr. Adam Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He said benzene is not a byproduct of sun filters – the various minerals or chemicals used to block harmful rays from the sun.
Dr Joe Schwarcz, professor of chemistry and director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Montreal, said in an email that he believed “the risk is minimal because the dose of benzene is too low” .
The FDA has said that given the recognized public health benefits of sunscreen, parents should continue to use broad-spectrum sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher.
Friedman said several summer camps collect all forms of aerosolized sunscreen, not just J&J, including Camp Tawanda in Honsedale, Pa., His children’s sleep camp, where Friedman volunteers as a camp doctor.
“I have a chest full of sunscreens for everyone,” he said. (Reporting by Michael Erman in New Jersey and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Richa Naidu in Chicago and Joyce Philippe in New York Editing by Caroline Humer and Alistair Bell)
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