NEW YORK (HealthDay News).—Some acne treatments They might banish blemishes, but they carry hidden dangers: a new report reveals that high levels of the carcinogen benzene can form in products that cThey contain benzoyl peroxide, an ingredient that fights pimples.
According to the new report from the independent laboratory Valisurebenzene “may form at unacceptably high levels” in both prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products.
Some tests showed that certain products had more than 800 times the benzene concentration limit allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the United States. What triggers the formation of benzene in these treatments?
Tests showed that when stored or handled at high temperatures, such as when left in a hot car for days, they can generate high levels of benzene.
In one experiment, an acne product was stored at 70 degrees Celsius for almost 17 hours. Not only did the lab detect benzene inside the product, but the benzene gas found in the air around it was more than 1,200 times the threshold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows for long-term exposure.
Other types of acne treatment products tested, such as those containing salicylic acid or adapalene, did not have that problem, according to the lab.
Valisure submitted a citizen petition to the FDA in which it described an initial analysis of 175 acne products and found that 99 of them contained benzoyl peroxide, and that benzene was detected in 94 of those products.
The petition calls on the FDA to “request recalls and suspension of sales of products containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient benzoyl peroxide.”
An FDA spokesperson confirmed in a statement that it had received the citizen petition.
“The agency acts on the basis of information provided by a variety of sources, such as that provided by Valisure, but such data must be verified as accurate and reproducible before it can be used to make regulatory decisions, such as recommending suspensions and withdrawals from sale. of products,” the Administration stressed.
Benzene is one of the 20 chemicals most commonly used in the United States, and people are exposed “primarily by breathing air containing benzene,” according to the American Cancer Society. Benzene is also used in a variety of products, including lubricants, dyes, detergents, and medicines.
This is not the first time Valisure has submitted a citizen petition letter to the FDA regarding concerns regarding benzene. In 2022, the lab found benzene in dry shampoo products and urged the FDA to request recalls, and the lab detected benzene in sunscreens in 2021.
But this latest report differs significantly, Valisure officials noted.
“This discovery of the fundamental instability of benzoyl peroxide and the formation of benzene is substantially different from Valisure’s previous findings on benzene in sunscreens, hand sanitizers and other consumer products,” said Valisure co-founder and president, David Light.
“The benzene we found in sunscreens and other consumer products were impurities that came from contaminated ingredients; However, the benzene in benzoyl peroxide products comes from the benzoyl peroxide itself, sometimes at hundreds of times the FDA conditional limit,” he said.
“This means that the problem broadly affects benzoyl peroxide products, both prescription and over-the-counter, and requires urgent action.”
#warn #acne #treatment
2024-04-29 22:42:36
