Johnson & Johnson recalls 5 aerosol sunscreens over benzene traces

July 14 (UPI) -- Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson recalled five of its aerosol sunscreen products on Wednesday, saying testing of samples found they contained low levels of benzene, a carcinogen.

The five aerosol sunscreen products affected by the recall are the Aveeno brand's Protect + Refresh, with the other four products Beach Defense, Cool Dry Sport, Invisible Daily and Ultra Sheer produced by its Neutrogena company.

The products under the recall, it said, were distributed nationwide through a variety of retail channels.

Chemical benzene was detected in some samples of the named sunscreen products despite not being an ingredient in them, Johnson & Johnson said, adding the cause of this issue was under investigation.

"Daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol products sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences," it said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products."

The company is urging consumers to stop using these products and to contact a physician if they have concerns or have experienced problems with using these aerosol products.

Those who experience adverse reactions, may contact the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program, it said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website, benzene is a highly flammable chemical that is either colorless or light yellow in color in liquid form and ranks among the top 20 chemicals by production volume in the United States.