Health
Cancer-Causing Benzene Is Used to Make Store-Brand Cold Relief Medicine
Generic versions of Mucinex sold at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and other US retailers are made with the chemical.
While most shoppers trust that store-brand medicines are just as safe and effective as brand-name ones, that’s not always true.
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While it may seem like the only difference between extended-release Mucinex and its generic store-brand counterpart is the price tag, the latter potentially exposes users to a deadly cancer-causing chemical.
Millions of Americans who buy the store-brand option at various major US chains are unknowingly choosing a drug that risks containing a potent carcinogen called benzene, according to a Bloomberg analysis of government data. Benzene can cause blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.