According to a recent analysis by Bloomberg, generic store-brand versions of Mucinex, a popular cold medicine containing guaifenesin that is used by millions of Americans during cold and flu season, have been found to contain benzene. A cancer-causing chemical linked to leukemia and other serious blood disorders, benzene is the same carcinogenic compound found in some conventional sunscreen and beauty products. Benzene was detected in carbomer, an inactive ingredient used in the generic store-brand versions of Mucinex.1
The brand-name Mucinex was not found to contain benzene in its carbomer. However, many Americans opt for generic store-brand drugs to save money. The generic versions of Mucinex, which are sold at CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Target, were sourced from New Jersey-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
An Amneal spokesperson said in a statement:
Patient safety has always been Amneal’s highest priority, underscored by our decades-long track record of industry-leading quality. Our guaifenesin products are manufactured in accordance with all FDA prescribed limits as well as more stringent company limits.1
Guaifenesin is an expectorant that helps loosen and thin mucus in the airways, making it easier to cough up and clear from the respiratory tract.
Amneal officials also stated that it sources carbomers from “the world’s largest and most trusted manufacturer that also supplies for most branded products,” ensuring regular quality testing of incoming materials. The company representative added that the company “immediately began reformulating these products upon publication of FDA’s reformulation guidance.”
Amneal officials say they are also conducting the necessary FDA-required testing and plan to submit the reformulated generic cold medicine products to the FDA by the end of 2024. “We expect to bring these products to market in advance of the FDA’s August 2025 deadline.”1
Benzene Contamination Raises Concerns a Year After Phenylephrine Declared Ineffective
Bloomberg’s report of benzene in drugstore versions of one of the most popular cold medicines comes almost a year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that phenylephrine, a common active ingredient in decongestants like Dayquil, Mucinex, Sudafed and others, is ineffective and does not work as advertised. These products, which popular drug stores like CVS vowed to remove from shelves, comprise four-fifths of the $2.2 billion oral decongestants market.2
CVS also issued a statement in light of the findings. “Our store brand products are developed to be safe and high-quality, work as intended, comply with regulations, and satisfy customers.” CVS officials said they require all suppliers to “comply with all laws and regulations and are committed to following the FDA’s guidance.”1 “When setting up any drug or cosmetic product, CVS store brand suppliers are required to certify that neither their raw material nor finished product contain benzene,” the statement continued.
Benzene Detected in Spray Sunscreens and Other Beauty Products
Certain aerosol sunscreens along with lotions, gels, and other beauty products have also been found to be contaminated with benzene. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) stated, “Many of the sunscreens with the highest levels of contamination have either been recalled or removed from store shelves, but this kind of reactive recall does not prevent harm to consumers who have already used these products.”
U.S. government regulators do not require sunscreen contamination tests that may protect American consumers from possible health risks.3
Walgreens Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Benzene-Containing Cold Medicine
Walgreens is now facing a proposed class action lawsuit from customers who claim they were not informed that the store’s generic Mucinex contains benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. Filed on Sept. 4, 2024, in federal court in Chicago, the lawsuit alleges that Walgreens failed to label the product or warn consumers about the carcinogen.
U.S. regulators have permitted the use of benzene by drug makers for decades.4
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Click here to view References:1 Zilber A. Generic version of Mucinex sold by CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Target contains cancer-causing chemical: report. The New York Post Aug. 12, 2024.
2 Baker A. FDA Panel Statements Prompt Pharmacies to Pull Popular Nasal Decongestants from Pharmacy Shelves. The Vaccine Reaction Nov. 7, 2023.
3 Environmental Working Group. Beware of benzene: Shining a light on sunscreen spray contamination.
4 Novak Jones D. Walgreens hit with lawsuit claiming generic cold medicine has cancer-causing chemical. Reuters Sept. 4, 2024.
7 Responses
All drugs are poisons, even safe OTC garbage.
So true Tom. Loaded with lead, mercury (heavy metals), toxins and carcinogens which don’t belong in the human body. I don’t know why some people refuse to wake up on this. Toxic chemical cocktails are an appropriate name for most of the “medicines” in existence.
Agenda 2030 to eliminate ideally, 95% of the human race.
Amazing that the FDA left the benzene in cough syrups or anything else being ingested. I’ll take my chances with some clean elderberry or other antioxidants that actually benefit people’s health.
What about the Kroger generic brand? Did they test that?
Awesome. Might as well have lit up a cigarette instead. Everything they sell at those stores is poison like Tom said. Go to Natural Grocers instead and buy some herbs and safe vitamins, Dr Bronners soaps and tooth paste. Natural Grocers does internal testing randomly of everything on their shelves and will pull products from their shelves if they are found to have contaminants or unethical supply chains. Something the big box stores obviously are not doing. Because if they did honest internal testing, their entire medical isles would be empty. Could have just taken a few drops of colloidal silver and some B, C, & D liquid drops, perhaps some vitamin mineral fusion with magnesium topper and some nascent Iodine. But no, people want those name brands they see on tv.
When I have to reach for serious cold medicine, I reach for whiskey. This is unreal that so many people still trust the system despite a lifetimes worth of lawyer commercial advertisements chasing down literally every popular brand name item years later for class action lawsuits, and a continuing stream of disgusting pharmasuetical commercials which list shockingly horrifying never ending lists of side effects just to manage a simple disease or ailment which could have otherwise been managed far better with a healthy diet and safe vitamins and minerals. People deserve to get sick for being so utterly ignorant about all the toxins they put into their own body.
We’re still out here in the wild, smoking and drinking, eating non gmo organic foods, tons of beef and chicken, the best eggs, the best milks, simple non complex non processed foods like literally every single night of the week and we’re just fine. Everything they’ve told you about health is a lie. You can’t inject health and your body can certainly handle non complex toxins. In fact you can handle a lot of them, as long as they’re not complex chemical bonded toxins. Like literally everything the sell you in processed foods and big box medicinal isles.
The key factor is picking a limited array of cheating or guilty pleasures, and casting off the rest. Eating fast food is worse then smoking. Using sunscreen is worse then getting a sunburn. Excreting mucus is good for you because that’s your body cleansing itself of runaway toxicity. Just blow your nose a lot instead and take an aspirin or something, drink a hell of a lot of orange juice like the entire liter and do so every single day until you are better. This is not rocket science people. Geesh.
We blame runaway consumerism and an ignorant populace. Because the people feel entitled and have money to spend. These corporations see the people coming a mile away and they concoct something to sell them, knowing full well the cheaper alternatives would have provided a better outcome. But they can’t buy into a piece of the orange juice market, so they formulate completely ineffective products, put a marketing campaign together, and then sell them marked up junk as snake oil cures. Because people observed something advertised on TV, they instantly trust the product without a second thought. They’re so far propagandized, sad really.
Many years back someone took nearly every single vitamin they sell at big box stores for high end detailed spectrographic type testing. Like 95% of all the items they could not identify any of the supposed ingredients on the labels. They had all been lost to the improper processing and pressing, heat, or time on the shelf. Most of them were just colored chalk. That’s why we only go to Natural Grocers these days. Get some hard pressed spirulina from the Health Ranger store, that stuff works and always makes you feel better if you are sick.
our tv 📺 sponsored news tell us to ware sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.
Yet the news didn’t warn us about the cancer causing toxic benzine in the sun screen they recommended.
🤔