Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson faces a class-action lawsuit. In particular, the suit happened after J&J announced a recall for five of its spray sunscreens. due to the presence of benzene. Benzene is a cancer-causing chemical banned for use in the household.
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Johnson & Johnson Sunscreen Recall
J&J recalled some sunscreen products from its Aveeno and Neutrogena lines. This includes Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen. It also includes four Neutrogena sunscreens. These are Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Invisible Daily Defense aerosol sunscreen, and UltraSheer aerosol sunscreen.
Valisure, an independent testing lab in Connecticut, issued a report last May 2021. It found out that some J & J products contain high levels of benzene. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, benzene can cause leukemia. Cancers can develop when users receive long-term exposure to high levels.
Class Action Lawsuit
Leading the class action lawsuit is legal from the Beasley Allen law firm. In addition, residents Johanna Dominguez and Sharron Meijer filed the suits in a California court. It sought an injunction and asked for damages. This is on behalf of consumers who bought the affected products.
“It should not have taken the publication of a third party’s tests to bring this critically important information to the public, and J&J’s response so far is not enough,” said product-safety trial lawyer Andy Birchfield of the Beasley Allen law firm, which is representing the plaintiffs in the suit. “We will find out how long J&J knew about these concerns and why it took so long to take action,” he added.
Johnson & Johnson Said The Recall Is Voluntary
Meanwhile, a J&J company spokesperson insisted the recall is voluntary. “When the industry was alerted to this matter, we immediately began a comprehensive end-to-end investigation of our manufacturing process and raw materials, including internal testing and a thorough data review.
We also conducted a robust health and safety assessment. The results informed our decision, which we proactively brought to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” the spokesperson said.
“While the use of these products would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences, we are asking consumers to stop using them. We believe this is the right decision to ensure consumers are confident in using sunscreen products,” the spokesperson added.
Benzene Not An Ingredient
In addition, J & Jthe pharmaceutical and beauty goods company said that benzene is not an ingredient in its products. Specifically, it said it started an investigation on how benzene ended up in the J&J products. The company also assured that the amount of benzene in their products won’t cause serious health consequences.
“Daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” J&J said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products,” it added.
Watch the CBS Detroit News on J&J Sunscreen Recall: Five Neutrogena, Aveeno Sunscreens Recalled Over Cancer-Causing Ingredient:
Loading ...Do you use J&J sunscreen products? With the findings of benzene, will you buy these products again after the recall?
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