CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A recent class action lawsuit complains the amount of benzene in acne treatment sold by Walmart is unsafe.
Walmart Inc. is facing a class action lawsuit filed March 15 in Chicago federal court by plaintiff Skylar Williams, alleging that the company's Equate brand acne cream and gel products contain benzoyl peroxide (BPO).
BPO degrades over time into benzene, a carcinogenic impurity linked to leukemia and other cancers, the suit says. It further claims that these products are not designed to contain benzene, making their presence in the products illegal under both federal and state law.
Furthermore, it is alleged that Walmart misrepresented that the products do not contain benzene and failed to disclose its presence.
Williams asserts that she would not have purchased the product or would have paid substantially less had Walmart disclosed this information.
Gary Klinger and others at Milberg Coleman, plus Philip Fraietta of Bursor & Fisher represent the plaintiff.