The Food and Drug Administration recently announced it is asking retailers to stop selling six acne medications from specific lots, after a test showed increased levels of benzene, a known carcinogen in benzoyl peroxide antiseptics, in the products.
“The recalls are happening at the retail level, meaning stores are pulling the products, but consumers are not required to take action,” said Dr. Adam Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Friedman said the concern is that when inhaled or consumed, benzene can lead to cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.
“There’s no data to date that shows applying benzene to the skin can cause blood-borne cancers,” Friedman said. “That said, we always want to play it safe.”
The FDA said 90% of the products it tested “had undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene.”
Friedman said for those who want to play it safe, avoid acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide until further testing can be done on products that include the chemical. He also said using acne products contaminated with benzene should not be a cause for alarm.
“If you’ve been using benzoyl peroxide acne treatments, please do not panic. The FDA says the risk of cancer from benzene exposure in these products is very low, even using over decades,” Friedman said.
The products that are a part of the voluntary recall can be found on the FDA’s website.
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