Benzene should not be used in the manufacture of drug substances or products because it is a class one solvent with "unacceptable toxicity,"
according to the FDA.
However, the FDA did allow a
"temporary" use of benzene in liquid hand sanitizers during the pandemic, setting the upper limit to 2 parts per million.
The
US Environmental Protection Agency has set a much lower limit -- 5 parts per billion (ppb) -- for exposure to benzene in drinking water. The agency has also set a "goal of 0 ppb for benzene in drinking water and in water such as rivers and lakes because benzene can cause leukemia."
Last week, "in an abundance of caution," manufacturer Procter & Gamble voluntarily pulled 17 different types of
Old Spice and Secret antiperspirant off the shelves,
according to a press release.
A number of other brands have not yet been recalled, including batches of Tag, Sure, Equate, Suave, Right Guard and Brut that had
levels of benzene at or above 2 parts per million, said David Light, CEO and founder of Valisure, the independent lab that ran the tests and filed the petition.
Additional batches of antiperspirants and deodorants, which Valisure said tested at levels up to 2 parts per million, include products made by Summer's Eve, Right Guard, Power Stick, Soft & Dri and Victoria's Secret. To date, CNN was not able to verify that any of these products except Old Spice and Secret have been recalled following Valisure's early November request to that effect to the FDA.
CNN reached out to all of these companies for response. The Village Company, which makes Soft&Dri, declined to provide a comment. Unilever, which makes Suave, told CNN in an email: "Unilever takes all safety concerns seriously, and we are conducting a robust investigation into the Valisure petition's assertions about two Suave antiperspirant aerosols."
CNN did not receive a response from the rest of the brands before publication, but the Personal Care Products Council, an industry association that speaks for 600 consumer product companies, put out this
statement."Benzene is not an intentionally added ingredient in body spray products; however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as product manufacturers, are aware that it may be present in food and drug products at very low levels," PCPC wrote.
"PCPC and its member companies are firmly committed to ensuring consumers have access to cosmetics and personal care products with ingredients that have been thoroughly tested for safety and follow the requirements of the law," the statement said. "Companies and individuals have a legal responsibility to ensure their products and ingredients are safe for the intended use."
High levels of benzene detected
Benzene is created by natural and man-made processes. The chemical, which can trick the body's cells into not working properly, is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke, according to the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It's also used to manufacture a variety of "plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides,"
according to the Am
