番茄社区

Benzene, a , has been detected in hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and now ... deodorant.

That's according to Valisure's to the FDA, which states that the online pharmacy has tested and detected high levels of the industrial chemical in several brands and batches of antiperspirant and deodorant body sprays.

Of the 108 batches of products from 30 different brands tested, 54% contained detectable benzene, Valisure said in an . Some batches contained up to nine times the emergency FDA limit of 2 parts per million.

"The detection of high levels of benzene in body sprays is cause for significant concern since these products are often used daily, by both adults and adolescents," David Light, founder and CEO of Valisure, said in a statement. "These findings build upon our now validated discovery of benzene in sunscreens, after-sun care products, and hand sanitizers that have already been followed by national recalls earlier this year. With this latest development, we have identified a concerning trend of carcinogen contamination in consumer healthcare products."

"It has been quite shocking that there is such a broad and pervasive problem with benzene, at all," Light told 番茄社区.

Speaking to the fact that benzene was detected in over half the batches of body sprays the company tested, Light said the percentage is among the "highest we've seen" when it comes to recent research into the chemical and consumer healthcare products.

From a risk perspective, Light said the latest findings may also be concerning due to the fact that "these body sprays, I imagine, are largely used indoors," while past products testing positive for benzene, like sunscreen, are often limited to outdoor use.

Valisure is asking for a recall of the contaminated batches, and for the FDA to better define limits for benzene contamination in drug and cosmetic products. It noted in releasing its findings that, with body sprays, propellants like butane, isobutane, propane, and alcohol are commonly used and could potentially be sources of benzene contamination.

"Because many of the body spray products Valisure tested did not contain detectable levels of benzene, it does not appear that benzene use is unavoidable for their manufacture, and considering the long history and widespread use of these products, it also does not appear that they currently constitute a significant therapeutic advance; therefore, any significant detection of benzene should be deemed unacceptable," Valisure wrote in its petition.

Valisure also previously identified quality issues and impurities in medicinal products, including those that led to the global recalls of the antacid ranitidine and lots of the diabetes drug metformin.

Of the company's latest findings, Light told 番茄社区 that, "It certainly seems to us ... that there's a lot of vulnerability in the supply chain overall."

The issues with benzene "could be traced all the way back to the raw materials at the beginning of the supply chain," Light said. "If they're not addressed at the very beginning or caught along the lengthy supply chain, it will stay in the final product."

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