Unilever on October 18 recalled several aerosol dry shampoos from the brands such as Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head), and TRESemmé because of potentially high levels of benzene in the products.
The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement, "The recalled products were distributed nationwide in the United States. Retailers have been notified to remove recalled products from shelves."
This was a voluntary recall of the products that Unilever produced before to October 2021.
Why were the dry shampoos recalled?
Unilever said that while it had not learnt of any adverse effects on customers, it was withdrawing the dry shampoos voluntarily because of high levels of benzene found in them. The Washington Post quoted Unilever as saying. "Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution."
The company asked consumers to stop using the products and even offered refunds for certain products.
A lab in Connecticut reportedly found elevated levels of Benzene in the products. The CEO of the lab called Valisure, David Light, told Bloomberg, "Given what we've seen, it, unfortunately, makes sense that other consumer-product categories, like aerosol dry shampoos, could be heavily affected by benzene contamination and we are actively investigating this area."
The benzene contamination was said to be found in the chemicals that help propel the spray of dry shampoos. T
The products that were recalled were said to have been distributed in the US.
Why is Benzene harmful?
Benzene is an agent long exposure to which may cause cancer. The FDA statement said, "Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life threatening. "
A 2021 study found links between "benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma".
Researchers also found a connection between benzene and leukaemia in 2012. The study found, " Excessive exposure to benzene has been known for more than a century to damage the bone marrow resulting in decreases in the numbers of circulating blood cells, and ultimately, aplastic anemia. Of more recent vintage has been the appreciation that an alternative outcome of benzene exposure has been the development of one or more types of leukemia."
The study raised specific concerns about the expanding Indian and Chinese markets for automobiles that could increase benzene in the air.
Where is Benzene found?
Benzene is found in the environment specifically in crude oil, cigarette smoke and petrol and humans are said to be regularly exposed to it. The US Centers for Disease Control says that the chemical, colourless and highly flammable, can be found in fumes from vehicles and emissions from industries.
Benzene is also found in indoor air from "glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents".
High levels of benzene had also been found in Delhi's air several times and is one of the components that add to the city's air pollution. In 2018, The Indian Express had reported that on October 31, benzene levels at India Gate were at their highest at 11 pm at 23 µg/m3. The acceptable limit is 5 µg/m3.
In 2015, a 68-day study by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had found the chemical level in Delhi to be at 14 µg/m3.
