(PartiallyPolitics.com) – On Wednesday, Valisure, an independent laboratory, started pushing for federal health officials to recall certain products that include benzoyl peroxide and are used for acne treatment as it was found that they contain high amounts of a chemical that has been found to be linked to cancer.
The lab argued that the large levels of benzene, a human carcinogen, that had been found in these products were the result of the benzoyl peroxide products being handled and stored at certain temperatures that allow the chemical to be increased.
In their study, the lab ended up testing over 66 benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products and found that these products can form benzene hundreds of times over the limit that the FDA has set. David Light, the co-founder of Valisure, claimed that the products affected by this range include gels, lotions, bars, liquids, and creams among other products. This substance was found in the products of several popular brands including Proactiv, Target’s Up & Up, Clinique, and Clearasil.
The lab determined that based on the current evidence the problem applies to peroxide products that are on the market right now.
The Food and Drug Administration has a conditional limit of up to 2 parts per million of benzene inside drug products. However, that amount is only allowed in extreme cases. The tests have currently shown that benzene found inside these benzoyl peroxide products is over 800 times more than the limit when stored at 122 degrees, while it is only up to nine times more when the products are stored on a shelf.
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