Remember spray cheese? When it hit store shelves, people loved the novelty of it.
Sure, that weird orange ribbon that came out of the can definitely wasn’t “cheese” in any true sense. But the fact that you could SPRAY it onto your crackers made it an instant hit.
Since then, just about everything you can think of has been turned into a spray. There’s spray-on sunscreen… deodorant… makeup… powder… you name it.
There’s even something called “dry shampoo” that you spray into your hair anytime you want to freshen up between showers.
Besides being quick and easy to use, all those products have something else in common. They could also be DEADLY.
It turns out all that convenience could come at a terrible price. A new report reveals that many personal-care spray products may harbor a dangerous cancer-linked chemical.
But it’s one you can avoid with a single simple rule. I’ll explain what that is in just a moment.
Dangerous chemical hidden in everyday products
A new report looks at the shockingly high number of spray products quietly recalled in recent weeks. And it’s all for the same reason… BENZENE.
Benzene can be dangerous even in the tiniest amounts. The chemical has repeatedly been linked to potentially deadly blood cancers.
The new report lists a shocking number of recalls in recent months due to benzene contamination, including:
- aerosol antiperspirants from the Brut, Sure, Old Spice, and Secret brands
- dry shampoo and hair conditioner sprays from Pantene and Herbal Essence
- antifungal sprays from Tinactin and Lotrimin
- sunscreen sprays from Coppertone, Neutrogena, and Aveeno
Your skin is the largest and most sensitive organ in your body. When these products are sprayed onto it, your skin can suck chemicals like benzene right inside.
But it gets worse. Each spritz also sends an eye-watering cloud of fumes across the room. That gives everyone present a lungful of chemical junk, including the benzene, which now has a free ride into your airways, lungs, and the rest of your body.
Avoiding benzene is easy when you know where to look
The bizarre thing is that scientists have no clue what’s causing the benzene to show up in all these products. Which means the manufacturers are clueless about how to get rid of it.
But thanks to watchdogs like the Environmental Working Group, what we do know is that even at very low levels, benzene can…
- damage DNA
- wipe out cells
- raise the risk of cancer
One thing is clear. This isn’t over yet. At this point, we’re just waiting to see what product gets recalled next.
But YOU don’t need to be a sitting duck. The one thing we DO know these contaminated products have in common is that they’re all aerosols.
Two simple actions could help limit your exposure and keep you safe:
- Avoid ALL aerosol forms of personal care products. They may be more convenient, but that convenience clearly comes with a hefty price tag.
- Other personal care products can contain dangerous chemicals too. In fact, many of those toxins are allowed to be in them. So be very selective about any products you use on your body, even if they aren’t aerosol forms.
Of course, benzene isn’t the only threat hiding in our personal care products. For example, last year, I warned readers about the hidden household hazards behind rising breast cancer risks.
One way to check on what items are safer and see what’s really lurking in all of your cosmetics and other products is to search the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. There they list troublesome ingredients and give each product a safety score.
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