Cancer scare in hand santisers

Are you still using hand sanitiser? Perhaps you shouldn't, as an independent investigation in the US found toxic amounts of cancer-causing benzene chemicals in many hand sanitiser products. Benzene is known to cause Leukaemia, a type of blood cancer.

An independent laboratory (Valisure) that tests drug products for safety tested 260 hand sanitiser products and found elevated levels of benzene in 21 of them (CBS New York, 2022). Benzene was still found in most of them, but within alleged "safe" limits, which might also be questionable. Some products did have no detectable benzene in them (Valisure, 2022).

The US regulator of such products, the FDA, apparently relaxed their standards on benzene in products, which allowed companies to get away with adding more into hand sanitiser and not be investigated.

So this is another warning message to always check the ingredients list of products you buy, whether it be food or washing or cleaning products, make-up, or anything that can come in contact with your skin.

Check your hand sanitiser product ingredients and if there is any benzene in it, throw it out. Just using soap and water is enough to keep your hands clean.

Be healthy!

References:
CBS New York. (2022). Hand Sanitizer Study Finds Elevated Levels Of Cancer Causing Chemical In 21 Out Of 260 Hand Sanitizers. Retrieved 4th May 2022 from https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/hand-sanitizer-benzene/

Valisure. (2022). Valisure detects benzene in hand sanitizers. Retrieved 4th May 2022 from www.valisure.com/valisure-newsroom/valisure-detects-benzene-in-hand-sanitizers