Beware of benzene lurking in your aerosol products
Q: I was disappointed to read that so many popular aerosol antiperspirants and deodorants contain benzene. What about other aerosol products, like hairsprays, air fresheners and cleaning products? Do they also contain benzene? How much more are we breathing in unknowingly, without fair warning?
A:
We started worrying about benzene in consumer products about a year ago. That was when the testing laboratory Valisure reported that many hand sanitizers were contaminated with benzene.
The Food and Drug Administration eventually issued a notification that consumers were not to use certain products that contained benzene. Since that announcement, Valisure has discovered benzene in other aerosol products, including a number of popular sunscreens, antiperspirants and body sprays.
On Feb. 16 the FDA published a company announcement that Sure and Brut aerosol sprays were being recalled because of benzene. The products in question have “expiration dates on or before August 2023.” The announcement states that: “Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. 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.”
No one is certain why the benzene is showing up in aerosol products, but Valisure has proposed that petroleum products such as butane or propane used
in the propellants could be a source of the contamination. That might mean that many other aerosols are also problematic. The FDA has no power to remove contaminated over-thecounter products from the marketplace. It can only request “voluntary” recalls.
Q: I have a strong family history of Alzheimer’s disease. If I cannot remember a word or an important date, it scares me half to death.
I have been doing a lot of research on what to do and not do to try to prevent dementia. I recently read that herpes infections might be a contributing factor. This is very worrisome, because I have suffered from cold sores for many years.
I have started taking L-lysine to speed healing. It seems to be helping. Do you think it will help prevent dementia?
A:
The herpes theory of Alzheimer’s disease has been kicking around for roughly 40 years. A Canadian pathologist suggested that the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) that causes cold sores might also be causing “degenerative lesions” within the brain (Canadian Journal of
Neurological Sciences, August 1982).
Although this idea languished for decades, researchers are now reconsidering the “Viral Hypothesis and Antiviral Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease” (Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, July 14, 2018). There are now at least two randomized controlled trials underway to test the antiviral drug valacyclovir (Valtrex) against Alzheimer’s disease (ACS Chemical Neuroscience, April 7, 2021). L-lysine is an amino acid supplement that was first proposed to treat HSV-1 and prevent Alzheimer’s disease by a retired geriatrician (Neuropsychiatry Disease and Treatment, Oct. 27, 2010). Sadly, this hypothesis has never been tested in a clinical trial and remains “highly speculative.”
Until there are well-controlled clinical trials, we have no way of determining whether L-lysine can speed healing of cold sores or help reduce the risk of dementia.