OREANDA-NEWS. The American pharmacy «Valisure» revealed a high content of the carcinogen — toxic benzene — in 21 samples of hand sanitizers. The company analyzed 260 samples from 168 different brands, and recorded the benzene content in 44 samples. In 23 of them, the content of the dangerous substance was within the normal range, and in 21 there was a significant excess, in some cases eight times. A number of antiseptics from this list are intended for children.

The company found, that half of the products were made in China, and about a third were made in the United States. In a statement, «Valisure» notes, that benzene causes leukemia. Some products were also found to contain «unacceptably high levels» of methanol and acetaldehyde, which can be toxic for humans.

The company sent a petition to the regulator of the American pharmaceutical market — the US Department of Health's Office of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — in which it asked to recall batches of sanitizers with dangerous substances.

Benzene is a colorless liquid with a specific sweet smell. It is a component of gasoline and is used for the production of medicines, plastics, synthetic rubber and dyes. It is toxic and carcinogenic.