J&J Sunscreen Litigation to Proceed in South Florida Court

Federal lawsuits over Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. sunscreen products recalled because of benzene contamination will proceed in South Florida, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said.

A spate of proposed class actions followed a report by online pharmacy Valisure, which detected benzene in several brands and batches of sunscreen, including the J&J unit’s Aveeno and Neutrogena brands.

Plaintiffs say the presence of benzene, which has been linked to leukemia and other cancers, renders the sunscreens worthless. Humans can be exposed to benzene through inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, and skin and eye contact, they say.

Combining the lawsuits would ...