Procter & Gamble recalls more than 30 dry shampoo and conditioner products

This July 9, 2015, file photo, shows signage outside Procter & Gamble corporate headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)

Consumer packaged goods giant Procter & Gamble has announced a voluntary recall of dozens of dry shampoo and conditioner products.

The brands affected include: Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, and Waterless, the company said in a press release on Friday, adding that the products were part of a voluntary recall because of the detection of benzene, a potential carcinogen.

However, the risk appears to be low. “Based on exposure modeling and the cancer risk assessments published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (IRIS database), daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” the company said.

The company identified the specific products that were impacted:

(P&G)

(P&G)

The company explained the potential hazards of the carcinogen in its recall release.

“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,” the release said.

“Based on exposure modeling and the cancer risk assessments published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (IRIS database), daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.”

According to the release, “humans around the world have daily exposures to it indoors and outdoors from multiple sources,” and the company has not received any reports of adverse health conditions stemming from its products.

“To date, The Procter & Gamble Company has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall and is conducting this recall out of an abundance of caution,” the company said.

The company detected the carcinogen in the propellant that allows the product to be sprayed from its cans.

“The vast majority of our products are not part of this recall, including mousses, hairsprays, liquid shampoos, liquid conditioners, styling products, treatments, and unaffected aerosol dry shampoo sprays,” the company wrote in the release.

The company said it has alerted retailers to the recall and will offer reimbursements for any affected products. Individuals who have purchased a recalled product can seek a refund by visiting www.pantene.com, www.aussie.com, www.herbalessences.com, www.hairfood.com, www.oldspice.com, or www.waterlesshaircare.com where more information on reimbursement is available.