Coppertone has issued a nationwide voluntary recall of specific lots of its aerosol sunscreen spray after identifying they contain benzene, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Sept. 30. Benzene, a chemical that appears as a colorless or light yellow liquid, causes cells not to work properly and attack the immune system. It can lead to anemia in humans, while long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause leukemia and cancer of the blood-forming organs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), benzene is a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke and is a widely used but highly flammable chemical. Exposure to benzene can occur through inhalation, orally, or through the skin and its effects vary, with symptoms ranging from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and, at very high levels, death. Coppertone, which is owned by Beiersdorf, identified twelve lots of five lots of its aerosol sunscreen spray products manufactured between …