The popular sunscreen manufacturer, Coppertone, issued a voluntary recall on Thursday for five of its products due the presence benzene, a known carcinogen.
The voluntary recall announcement, which was posted on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, states that "specific lots of five Coppertone aerosol sunscreen spray products manufactured between the dates of January 10, 2021 and June 15, 2021 to the consumer level," were being recalled after the company identified the presence of benzene in the lots.
"Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen," the recall announcement said. "Exposure to benzene can occur through inhalation, oral, and skin and it could, depending on the level and extent of exposure, result in an increased risk of cancers, including leukemia, and blood cancer of the bone marrow and other blood disorders which can be life-threatening."
Coppertone noted in the announcement that the levels of benzene found in the recalled lots is not expected to cause any "adverse health consequences," even if exposed to the products daily.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling certain lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen spray products," the recall announcement said.
According to Coppertone, the company has not received any reports of adverse health issues related to the recalled products, to date.
The five specific products that were recalled were all aerosol sunscreen spray cans and have previously been sold to numerous retailers across the U.S.
According to SunscreenRecall2021.com the five specific products that were recalled include Coppertone Pure & Simple SPF 50 5.0 oz aerosol sunscreen spray, Coppertone Pure & Simple Kids SPF 50 5.0 oz aerosol sunscreen spray, Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 5.0 oz aerosol sunscreen spray, Coppertone Sport Mineral SPF 50 5.0 oz aerosol sunscreen spray and Travel-size Coppertone Sport Spray SPF 50 1.6 oz aerosol sunscreen spray.
Consumers can use the SunscreenRecall2021.com website to request a refund if they have previously purchased one of the recalled products.
"Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to using these aerosol sunscreen spray products," the recall announcement said.
The FDA said that consumers who experience "adverse reactions or quality problems," from the products should report them to the agency's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.
In a statement sent to Newsweek, Coppertone said that "Benzene is not an ingredient we use in our product formulations."
"Coppertone is deeply committed to consumer safety and are reviewing our processes with supply chain partners," the statement said.
In July, Johnson & Johnson issued a similar voluntary recall for some of its sunscreen products after levels of benzene were detected.
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