Benzene Exposure Linked to Benzoyl Peroxide in Acne Treatment Products
FRIDAY, Oct. 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Potential benzene exposure occurs as a result of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) drug product use, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The carcinogen benzene is a degradation product of BPO and has been reported to form when BPO drug products are incubated at body temperature and elevated temperatures, according to Kaury Kucera, Ph.D., from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University in Connecticut, and colleagues. Kucera and colleagues examined benzene concentrations detected in over-the-counter BPO products.
- The researchers found that benzene concentrations (0.16 to 35.30 ppm) were detected in 111 over-the-counter BPO drug products tested and maintained at room temperature.
- Stability testing of a prescription encapsulated BPO product resulted in no apparent benzene formation at 2 degrees Celsius and in high levels of benzene formation at 50 degrees Celsius.
- In face model experiments, detectable levels of benzene were found through evaporation, and considerable benzene formation occurred when exposed to ultraviolet light at levels below peak sunlight.
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