Traditionally, the plaintiffs in benzene personal injury litigation have alleged that their use of paints, solvents, varnishes, and other petroleum-based products caused them to develop blood cancers. When in 2021, benzene was found in deodorants, sunscreens, and other personal care products, consumer class action cases were filed in federal district courts in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, California, and Oregon.

The cases sought reimbursement for consumers who purchased personal care products containing benzene on the basis that had they known that the products contained benzene, they would not have purchased them because of the potential health hazards.

The notion that the amount of benzene in the personal care products are sufficient to put users at risk of developing blood cancers underlies the class action filings. If the amount is truly that significant, the number of benzene personal injury cases could rise dramatically as blood cancer patients connect their use of these products with the development of the disease.

This CLE course will explore the theories which underlie the class actions as well as the contrast between it and the more limited additional benzene personal injury litigation, as well as the potential for innumerable future cases in the near future.