Table of contents
- Latest Benzene Exposure Lawsuit Updates
- October 15, 2026: Superior Court Upholds Gill Verdict Against ExxonMobil
- May 29, 2026: Study Links Low-Level Benzene to Brain Disorders
- May 8, 2025: Trial Judge Explains Decision to Uphold Gill Verdict
- March 11, 2025: FDA Releases Acne Product Test Results
- February 7, 2025: JPML Denies L’Oréal Acne Product MDL
- September 12, 2024: Delay Damages Raise Gill Award to $815.8 Million
- August 1, 2024: JPML Denies Benzoyl Peroxide MDL
- May 9, 2024: Philadelphia Jury Returns $725.5 Million Gill Verdict
- March 6, 2024: Valisure Petitions FDA Over Benzoyl Peroxide
- October 18, 2022: Unilever Recalls Aerosol Dry Shampoos
- March 30, 2022: Unilever Recalls Two Suave Aerosol Antiperspirants
- December 17, 2021: P&G Recalls Dry Shampoo and Dry Conditioner Sprays
- November 23, 2021: P&G Recalls Old Spice and Secret Aerosol Sprays
- October 8, 2021: JPML Creates Sunscreen MDL in Florida
- July 14, 2021: Johnson & Johnson Recalls Aerosol Sunscreens
- What Is Benzene?
- Who May Be Affected?
- Reported Injuries or Damages
- Recall and Regulatory Background
- Evidence to Preserve
- Filing Deadlines
- Potential Compensation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What Does the Research Say About Benzene?
- Is There a Benzene Class Action Lawsuit?
- Can Gasoline Exposure Cause Leukemia?
- Did Exxon Lose Its Benzene Appeal?
- What Is OSHA’s Action Level for Benzene?
- Were Neutrogena Sunscreens Recalled for Benzene?
Benzene exposure lawsuits say oil, chemical and product companies failed to warn people about benzene. The suits link exposure at work or from consumer goods to blood cancers. The main one is acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
There is no single benzene MDL. Most injury claims are single lawsuits filed in state or federal court. Class actions over benzene in sunscreens, sprays and acne products seek refunds, not injury damages.
A major benzene verdict still stands. In October 2026, a Pennsylvania appeals court upheld a judgment of about $816 million against ExxonMobil. The case was brought by a former mechanic with AML.
Latest Benzene Exposure Lawsuit Updates
October 15, 2026: Superior Court Upholds Gill Verdict Against ExxonMobil
The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the judgment for Paul Gill and his wife, Diane, against ExxonMobil [1]. The panel said Exxon did not preserve its challenge to the proof of causation. It found no abuse of discretion by the trial court.
The ruling is a non-precedential memorandum, and one judge dissented in part on damages. ExxonMobil could still ask the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to review the ruling.
May 29, 2026: Study Links Low-Level Benzene to Brain Disorders
Guo and colleagues studied 288,180 UK Biobank adults in the journal Advanced Science [2]. They found that long-term outdoor benzene was tied to seven brain disorders. These include anxiety, dementia, epilepsy and major depression.
The study looked at low levels in city air. It did not study work or product exposure. It does not address leukemia, the main injury in these suits.
May 8, 2025: Trial Judge Explains Decision to Uphold Gill Verdict
Judge Carmella Jacquinto of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas filed her written opinion for the appeal, the same Superior Court memorandum says. It explained why she denied Exxon’s motions after trial.
It also explained why she threw out Exxon’s late bid to add claims of juror misconduct. Exxon had filed that bid on August 21, 2024, more than three months after the verdict. The Superior Court later agreed that it came too late.
March 11, 2025: FDA Releases Acne Product Test Results
The FDA said it tested 95 acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide [3]. More than 90% had undetectable or extremely low benzene levels. Six products had elevated levels, and their makers began retail-level recalls. The maker of a seventh product also agreed to a recall.
FDA said the cancer risk from these products is very low, even with daily use for decades.
February 7, 2025: JPML Denies L’Oréal Acne Product MDL
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied a request to centralize six suits against L’Oréal USA in Hawaii (MDL No. 3141) [4].
The buyers claim the labels did not warn that benzoyl peroxide can break down into benzene. The panel said an MDL was not needed at this stage. Three of the six cases were already before one judge in New York.
September 12, 2024: Delay Damages Raise Gill Award to $815.8 Million
The Philadelphia trial court granted the Gills’ motion to add delay damages, the Superior Court memorandum says. That brought the total to $815,833,561.65. The jury’s original award was $725.5 million.
The same day, the court denied Exxon’s motions after trial. It also threw out Exxon’s late bid to add to them. Judgment was entered on September 23, 2024. Exxon then appealed.
August 1, 2024: JPML Denies Benzoyl Peroxide MDL
The JPML denied centralization of 28 putative class actions over benzoyl peroxide acne products in ten districts (MDL No. 3120) [5]. The buyers say they would not have bought the products had they known of a benzene risk.
The panel said the products differ in formula, packaging, storage and labeling. It chose to let the defendants’ own efforts to group the cases play out.
May 9, 2024: Philadelphia Jury Returns $725.5 Million Gill Verdict
A Philadelphia jury found for Paul and Diane Gill on negligence and product-defect claims, the Superior Court memorandum says. It awarded Mr. Gill $725 million and Mrs. Gill $500,000.
Mr. Gill worked at a Potter County service station from 1974 to 1979. He pumped gas and cleaned car parts with Mobil gasoline without gloves or a respirator. He was diagnosed with AML in 2019.
March 6, 2024: Valisure Petitions FDA Over Benzoyl Peroxide
Testing lab Valisure asked FDA in a citizen petition to act on acne products made with benzoyl peroxide [6]. Valisure said benzene forms as the drug breaks down. It found levels more than 800 times FDA’s conditional 2 ppm limit.
The lab urged a step like FDA’s 2020 pull of ranitidine drugs from the market. Buyers filed class actions soon after.
October 18, 2022: Unilever Recalls Aerosol Dry Shampoos
Unilever recalled some lots of aerosol dry shampoos made before October 2021. The reason was possibly high benzene levels [7]. The recall covered five brands.
Its own review traced the benzene to the propellant, the gas that sprays the product. Unilever said it had no reports of harm tied to the recall. Buyers were told to stop using the products and seek refunds at UnileverRecall.com.
March 30, 2022: Unilever Recalls Two Suave Aerosol Antiperspirants
Unilever recalled two Suave 24-Hour Protection aerosol antiperspirants across the U.S. Some samples had slightly high benzene levels [8]. The recall covered all lots that expire through September 2023. The products came in 4-ounce and 6-ounce cans.
Benzene is not an ingredient in these products. Unilever traced it to the propellant. An independent health hazard evaluation found daily use at those levels would not be expected to cause harm.
December 17, 2021: P&G Recalls Dry Shampoo and Dry Conditioner Sprays
Procter & Gamble recalled aerosol dry conditioner and dry shampoo sprays sold under six brands after finding benzene in some of them [9].
The company said the benzene came from the propellant, not an ingredient. P&G said it had no reports of harm. It called the recall a precaution. One of the six brands was Old Spice. FDA posted the notice the same day.
November 23, 2021: P&G Recalls Old Spice and Secret Aerosol Sprays
P&G recalled certain Old Spice and Secret aerosol antiperspirant and powder spray products because benzene was detected [10]. The recall covered lots with expiration dates through September 2023.
P&G said it had no reports of harm. Based on its own exposure modeling and EPA cancer risk assessments, it said daily use at the levels found would not be expected to cause health problems. FDA’s notice now says the recall is complete and closed.
October 8, 2021: JPML Creates Sunscreen MDL in Florida
The JPML centralized consumer suits over benzene in Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreens as MDL No. 3015. The motion covered eight actions in five districts [11]. It sent them to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The claims grew out of Valisure’s sunscreen testing. The JPML report dated October 1, 2026 lists the MDL with no pending actions [12].
July 14, 2021: Johnson & Johnson Recalls Aerosol Sunscreens
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. recalled all lots of five aerosol sunscreen lines after internal testing found low levels of benzene in some samples [13].
Four were Neutrogena products and one was an Aveeno product. The company said benzene is not an ingredient in its sunscreens. It told consumers to stop using the products and throw them away. The recall reached the consumer level.
What Is Benzene?
Benzene is a colorless liquid with a petroleum-like odor, according to ATSDR [14]. It comes from forest fires and volcanoes, and from car exhaust, tobacco smoke and gas stations. Industry uses it as a solvent and to make plastics, nylon and detergents. It is also part of gasoline.
This page covers claims by people exposed to benzene at work or through consumer products that were later recalled.
Who May Be Affected?
People who work in jobs that make or use benzene may have the highest exposure, says the CDC [15]. Benzene is used to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, dyes, pesticides and rubber.
OSHA limits workplace air to 1 ppm over an 8-hour shift and 5 ppm over any 15 minutes, though the standard exempts most retail gasoline dispensing [16]. Claims may involve refinery, chemical plant, service station or mechanic work. Our Philadelphia benzene lawsuit and railroad cancer lawsuit pages cover two groups.
Users of recalled sprays, sunscreens or acne products may have questions. In benzene injury suits, AML is the main diagnosis. Cancer can appear decades after exposure, as in Mr. Gill’s case.
Whether a claim qualifies depends on an individual legal review of the facts.
Reported Injuries or Damages
The IARC group of experts found in Volume 120 (2018) that benzene causes cancer in humans (Group 1) [17]. It said benzene “causes acute myeloid leukaemia in adults.” It also saw positive links with some other cancers. These include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphoid and chronic myeloid leukemia, AML in children and lung cancer.
ATSDR says benzene can lower red and white blood cell counts. It says long-term exposure may cause leukemia. The EPA calls benzene a known human carcinogen. It lists aplastic anemia among the blood effects [18]. More detail is on our acute myelogenous leukemia lawsuit page.
At the Gill trial, testimony said Mobil gasoline was a substantial factor in his AML, and the jury found for the Gills. The acne product class actions allege economic loss, not illness. P&G’s two notices and Unilever’s dry shampoo notice said the companies had no reports of adverse events.
Recall and Regulatory Background
FDA tells drug makers not to release any batch that would expose consumers to more than 20 micrograms of benzene a day. For a product with a 10-gram daily dose, that equals 2 ppm [19]. Sunscreens, antiperspirants, dry shampoos and some acne products were recalled from 2021 to 2025. Several told consumers to stop using affected lots and discard them.
A recall does not prove that a company is liable for an illness. Our antiperspirant and body spray lawsuit page has more detail.
Evidence to Preserve
Benzene cases often rely on old records. Keep these items if you can:
- Pay stubs, tax forms, union cards or Social Security work records that show where and when you worked
- Job titles, duties and the names of products, fuels or solvents you handled
- Safety data sheets, air test results or job health checkup records from your employer
- Names of coworkers who can describe your work and the protective gear you had
- Medical records that show your diagnosis, blood tests, bone marrow tests and care
- Recalled product containers, lot numbers, receipts or photos of the label
- Letters or emails with an employer or maker about benzene
Filing Deadlines
Deadlines for benzene claims come from state law. They vary by state and by the facts of each case.
Some states start the clock when you were diagnosed or learned of a possible link. Others use different rules. Because leukemia can appear decades after exposure, the timing matters.
Missing a deadline can end a claim. Ask a lawyer about your own deadline soon.
Potential Compensation
In Gill v. ExxonMobil Corp., a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas jury awarded Paul Gill $725 million and Diane Gill $500,000 on May 9, 2024. Delay damages raised the judgment to $815,833,561.65. The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed it on October 15, 2026.
Damages in these suits may cover medical costs, lost income and pain and suffering. Compensation amounts vary by case, and there is no guarantee of any result.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does the Research Say About Benzene?
The research on benzene shows it causes AML in adults, according to IARC’s Volume 120 review. The Working Group met in Lyon in October 2017. It also found sufficient evidence of cancer in lab animals. Links to other blood cancers were judged weaker.
Is There a Benzene Class Action Lawsuit?
Yes, there are benzene class actions, but they involve consumer products, not workplace illness. The JPML counted 35 total actions over benzoyl peroxide acne products against at least twelve defendants or defendant groups. Those buyers seek money for their purchases, not for injuries.
Can Gasoline Exposure Cause Leukemia?
Whether gasoline exposure can cause leukemia was a key question in the Gill trial. Gas contains benzene. Trial testimony cited by the Superior Court said the American Petroleum Institute told its members in 1948 that no level of benzene was safe.
Did Exxon Lose Its Benzene Appeal?
Yes, Exxon lost its appeal in the Gill benzene case. Judge Kunselman wrote the panel memorandum, and Judge Nichols joined it. Judge Sullivan dissented in part. She said the court should have reviewed Exxon’s challenge to the size of the award on its merits.
What Is OSHA’s Action Level for Benzene?
OSHA’s action level for benzene is 0.5 ppm as an 8-hour average. Workers exposed at or above that level on 30 or more days a year must be offered medical surveillance. That includes a complete blood count under the benzene standard.
Were Neutrogena Sunscreens Recalled for Benzene?
Yes, Neutrogena aerosol sunscreens were recalled for benzene in July 2021. The recall covered Beach Defense, Cool Dry Sport, Invisible Daily Defense and Ultra Sheer, plus Aveeno Protect + Refresh. Buyers could call 1-800-458-1673 to ask about a refund.