Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been in news headlines in recent years due to various product recalls and consumer class action lawsuits, such as those related to its baby powder products potentially causing ovarian cancer. The massive conglomerate is back in the public eye after it voluntarily recalled several sunscreen products due to possible carcinogenic contamination in the form of benzene.
J&J sunscreens that have been recalled are:
- Neutrogena Beach Defense
- Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport
- Neutrogena Invisible Daily
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer
- Aveeno Protect + Refresh
At this time, J&J is asking consumers who own any of the recalled products to discontinue their use and throw them away immediately. Retailers have been instructed to take the affected products off shelves.
Repeated or high-volume benzene exposure could potentially cause cancer, the company warned. For example, repeated benzene exposure on the skin, like applying a contaminated sunscreen lotion or oil each day in the summer, might cause skin cancer.
Benzene is not an ingredient in the J&J sunscreen products, so it appears that some sort of manufacturing defect has caused the contamination. J&J has stated that its preliminary tests of contaminated batches of products show that the risk of the benzene causing cancer is low, but it announced the recall to err on the side of caution. It is not known at this time if consumers who dispose of their sunscreen products will be offered a refund.
With any product that is widely recalled due to a possible health hazard, there is always the potential of a consumer class action lawsuit in response. If enough consumers come forward with complaints, then a class could be formed against J&J in pursuit of compensation. Importantly, class members would likely only need to have purchased the product, not have been diagnosed with skin cancer.
For more information, you can visit these news sites with stories about the ongoing recall:
To learn more about consumer class actions, how to form one, and what damages could be available to class members that sue J&J over their sunscreen products, you can call (215) 278-4449 and connect with Golomb Legal. Our class action lawyers assist clients nationwide with all manners of cases, so contact us today.