Well, my friend, it’s time for another episode of “Which personal care product could give me cancer THIS week?” Or, as the late great Yogi Berra would have put it, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
And the “star” this time around is sunscreen.
Just a few months ago, I warned you about a growing number of contaminated products flooding the market. And now, once again, a popular sunscreen has been yanked from the shelves because of the creepy cancer-linked chemical benzene.
Spray-on products like this sunscreen have exploded in popularity in the last decade. They’re quick and easy to use, so everything from powder to makeup to dry shampoo has found its way into a can.
But that convenience could come at a terrible price. Because it turns out they could also be DEADLY.
You can avoid this risk by following one simple rule. I’ll explain how in just a moment.
Benzene is found in personal care products… AGAIN
Earlier this year, a report took a closer look at the benzene problem. A disturbingly high number of spray products have been quietly recalled over the last year or two because they were found to contain the chemical.
Those recalled products included:
- 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
Benzene can be dangerous even in tiny amounts. The chemical has repeatedly been linked to potentially deadly blood cancers.
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 a lungful of chemical junk. That includes benzene, which now has a free ride into your airways, lungs, and the rest of your body.
Avoid this creepy cancer-linked chemical
This time around, several batches of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 were recalled. The recalled batches have expiration dates of December 2022, February 2023, or April 2024.
The bizarre thing is that scientists have no clue what’s causing the benzene to show up in all these products. This means the manufacturers are clueless about how to get rid of it.
But thanks to watchdogs like the Environmental Working Group, we know that even at very low levels, benzene has the potential to…
- damage DNA
- wipe out cells
- raise your risk of cancer
And, just as I warned several months ago, this likely will not be the end of the recalls for benzene contamination.
But YOU don’t need to wait around for the other shoe to drop. What these contaminated products have in common is that they’re all aerosols. And that means 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, I warned readers about the hidden household hazards behind rising breast cancer risks last year.
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.
Latest posts by Alice Jacob (see all)
- “Attitude adjustment” trick slows aging to a crawl - August 10, 2022
- The blood pressure secret hiding out in your mug - August 10, 2022
- Steal this “kitty cat” trick to avoid mosquitos - August 9, 2022
