Benzene in Hand Sanitizers?
That’s my dog Barnaby in the photo and he is very concerned about what hand sanitizer you’re using, as am I!
Yes, oh yes… just one more thing to worry about, gang, thanks to unethical companies who don’t put your health first.
In all seriousness, take a moment to check what hand sanitizers you’re using. We know that hand sanitizer is a hot item right now, for obvious reasons, but there are reports that high levels of Benzene are in many popular brands.
Benzene is a known carcinogen, meaning it is known to cause cancer. Because of this, the FDA put a limit on benzene in hand sanitizers of 2 parts per million (2ppm).
Valisure, a pharmacy company that independently tests the products it sells, conducted a study and discovered that many companies went well above that 2 ppm mark. Benzene in hand sanitizer is really concerning right now, simply because of the sheer numbers of adults and KIDS who are using it to get through the pandemic.
The study also found high levels of Methanol and Acetaldehyde in some hand sanitizers, which are listed as “possibly carcinogenic.”
Please click here to review VAlisure’s petition submitted to the FDA that lists all of the names of the implicated brands on page 14. Check and make sure you aren’t using any of those brands! Also, and this is very important, as folks return to work places and kids return to schools, make sure they aren’t using these brands either. Send the petition or this blog post to your schools, work places, childcare centers. We may not be able to control many things about this pandemic, but we can control the amount of benzene in hand sanitizers.
To make it easier, some of the worst offenders & Benzene levels are listed below. Notice how many used words that made them sound “natural” and safe. Very misleading…
A List of Brands with High Levels of Benzene in Hand Sanitizers:
1) artsnatural hand sanitizer (16.1 ppm)
2) SS Lavender and Herbs scented sanitizer (13.8 ppm)
3) huangjisoo hand sanitizer, gel type (11.4 ppm)
4) TrueWash Instant Hand Sanitizer Natural ( 6.2 ppm)
5) The Crème Shop, Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer, Peppermint Scented (4.6 ppm)
6) STARWARS MANDALORIAN Blue Color (3.9 ppm)
7) STARWARS MANDALORIAN Green Color (3.8 ppm)
8) Body Prescriptions Winter Mint Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer (3.7 ppm)
9) BORN BASIC Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer ( 3.5 ppm)
10) Beauty concepts, Sugar Cookie, Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer (3.2 ppm)
11) artnaturals hand sanitizer, scent free, natural elements and cleansing formula (3.1 ppm)
12) PureLogic Hand Sanitizer ( Aloe + Gree Tea) (2.9 ppm)
Don’t put this off, guys. It’s an easy one to fix. Check your brands and if you have one that has high levels of benzene in your hand sanitizers, chuck it in the trash. And let the brand know, too, because they shouldn’t be putting it into the market in the first place.
Also, if you haven’t yet, take a moment to check out these blog posts and/or podcasts:
Pamela Conlogue
Thanks for the information
bloomwp
Sure thing, Pamela! :)
Erin
Nick
Do these product HAVE TO list Benzine as an ingredient ?