On March 26, students, faculty and staff were notified in an email from Yale’s Environmental Health & Safety Department, or EHS, that benzene, a substance that can cause cancer, was detected in two hand sanitizer brands distributed by Yale, CleanHands and ArtNaturals, and were asked to dispose of the hand sanitizers immediately.
The contamination was first identified by the independent analysis lab Valisure, which filed a Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, citizen petition on March 24 after finding benzene in samples from 44 hand sanitizer products. Valisure, which is located in New Haven’s Science Park, conducts regular chemical testing of chemical and pharmaceutical products in the U.S. supply chain. In reaction to the discovery, many members of the Yale community have expressed concern for their health and safety.-- More...
