Coppertone Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Select Sunscreens After Identifying Presence of Benzene

A common ingredient in sunscreen may cause the disease many people use sunscreen to avoid— cancer. Nok Lek/Shutterstock

Coppertone has issued a nationwide voluntary recall of specific lots of its aerosol sunscreen spray after identifying they contain benzene, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Sept. 30.

Benzene, a chemical that appears as a colorless or light yellow liquid, causes cells not to work properly and attack the immune system. It can lead to anemia in humans, while long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause leukemia and cancer of the blood-forming organs.