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Recall of Coppertone Sunscreens for Benzene
Coppertone is voluntarily recalling five of its aerosol sunscreen products due to the presence of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer.

According to a recall notice posted on the Food & Drug Administration's website, the affected products were sold at retailers nationwide and include: Pure & Simple SPF 50, Pure & Simple Kids SPF 50, Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50, Sport Mineral SPF 50 and travel-size Coppertone Sport Spray SPF 50. 

The recall comes more than two months after Johnson & Johnson recalled select Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens in July after low levels of benzene were found in products.

Benzene is a highly flammable, widely used chemical that's present throughout the environment. It can cause cancer with repeated exposure at high enough levels and can damage the immune system and prevent cells from functioning properly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The chemical's effects vary by whether a person accidentally inhales or ingests it or gets it on skin and clothing. Symptoms range from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and, at very high levels, death.

We have a list of all current recalled sunscreens on our website.

If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma and have regularly used Neutrogena, Aveeno, CVS, Coppertone or Banana Boat sunscreen products, we urge you to complete and submit the form on our page, or call us toll free at 877-704-7674. We will evaluate your potential sunscreen claim at no charge. 


The Dangers of Vaping
Vaping exposes users to around 2,000 chemicals, including potentially harmful industrial compounds, according to a study of four popular brands by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

Most of the chemicals found were unidentified, but of those that were, six were cause for concern, according to the study published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, a peer-reviewed journal.

Researchers found condensed hydrocarbon-like compounds that are typically associated with traditional combustion products like cigarettes, despite the fact that vaping is often marketed as safer than those products. The study also found caffeine in some, which isn’t disclosed on labels. 

“People just need to know that they’re inhaling a very complex mixture of chemicals when they vape. And for a lot of these compounds, we have no idea what they actually are,” Carsten Prasse, an assistant professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins and a senior author of the study, said in a statement.  
Researchers found caffeine in BAT’s Vuse and Mi-One’s Mi-Salt vaping products. The FDA allows caffeine to be added to beverages and food as long as it’s listed in the ingredients panel.

Juul’s devices, meanwhile, contained a chemical commonly used as a flame retardant for polymers, which the study speculated might be a contaminant from the device itself. Condensed hydrocarbon-like compounds increased in all of the products due to vaping except in ITG’s Blu.

Hazardous chemicals highlighted in the study include isophorone, detected in Mi-Salt and Vuse products, which can cause effects ranging from nose and throat irritation to fatigue and depression, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Vanillin, a synthetic form of vanilla flavoring that has been reported to cause allergic reactions and other ailments, was detected in Mi-Salt, Vuse and Blu. 

The Johns Hopkins study, which the FDA is reviewing, looked at only tobacco-flavored liquids. Recent decisions from the FDA have determined that thousands of flavored products will need to be removed from the market. 
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON
Serious Injuries

Defective Products
Medical Devices


Dangerous Chemicals

Mesothelioma
Talc Update
 
In a blatant effort to cheat injured victims of its corporate greed, Johnson & Johnson recently sought bankruptcy protection to avoid paying for the damages its talcum powder has caused to countless women and their families. Employing a sneaky bankruptcy maneuver permitted under Texas law, J&J created a brand new corporate entity, then assigned all its talc liabilities to that new entity, which immediately filed for bankruptcy. J&J then argued that all litigation against it should be halted pending the outcome of the bankruptcy proceeding, even though J&J itself did not file for bankruptcy.


If J&J's bankruptcy trick is successful, all civil litigation against them will stop and your case will become a claim in the bankruptcy court. The nationwide plaintiffs effort is fighting against J&J's bankruptcy scheme.

Meanwhile, J&J won the last two jury trials, conducted before the bankruptcy filing, one in Pennsylvania and one in St. Louis. The loss in St. Louis was a big surprise. Settlement negotiations are currently on hold pending resolution of the bankruptcy process.
Roundup Update

Monsanto has asked the United States Supreme Court to review a legal issue that comes up in all of the Roundup trials. It's a legal doctrine called federal preemption.

Basically, the doctrine states that when federal and state law conflict, federal law prevails.

Monsanto claims that the federal law that governs it's label on Roundup would not have allowed a warning about the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma because the current science doesn't support the warning.

This is a real risk to the litigation. The conservative, pro-business wing of the Supreme Court has 6 of the 9 seats. If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case, we think there is a real chance that the Court could side with Monsanto. A ruling in Monsanto's favor will make it much harder to win Roundup trials. So far, the Supreme Court has not decided whether it will hear Monsanto's appeal.
Truvada Update
In July, there was a court-ordered mediation (an attempt to settle the litigation). It failed, but it was not expected to be productive at this early stage of the litigation.

There have been no Truvada trials and there are no ongoing settlement talks.

We are in the beginning of this litigation with a long way to go.
Summers & Johnson, P.C.
717 Thomas Street
Weston, MO 64098
877-704-7674
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