Some sunscreens can cause more harm than good
WE all know just how important it is to use sunscreen on our family and ourselves.
But when you’re in the sunscreen aisle, it can be overwhelming to try and pick out the safest ones.
And even though you may want to just grab one, there is definite reason to take your time.
Do your part and be informed about the ingredients in many brands that could actually be bad for you and the planet.
The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit public health and environmental research and advocacy organisation based in Washington DC, studied nearly a thousand brand named sunscreens in 2009.
Three out of five did not adequately protect our skin from the sun or they were made with chemicals that could be harmful to people.
Remember, those same harmful chemicals build up in our environment – whether it washes off in the ocean or goes down our shower drain and into the water supply.
One common and controversial sunscreen ingredient is oxybenzone. Its primary function is to absorb ultraviolet light but research shows that it can also be absorbed through the skin.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in 2008 that showed 97% of Americans in the test group were contaminated with oxybenzone.
Oxybenzone is currently allowed in sunscreens but research has revealed that it is linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage that can lead to skin cancer.
Another study by the CDC also revealed that oxybenzone is linked to low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy.
In the environment, researchers believe that oxybenzone may be contributing to the feminising of certain species of male fish in our oceans, rivers and lakes. So why is oxybenzone still considered “safe” for use in sunscreens?
Unfortunately, the US Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA) has not updated mandatory sunscreen standards in over 30 years.
Current FDA oversight of sunscreens is largely confined to ensuring that sunscreens prevent sunburn and that the manufacturers’ labelling claims can be supported.
This means that the FDA is only regulating the sun protection factor from ultraviolet B (UVB) rays which cause sunburn and not ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that can cause melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
The regulations do nothing to address health concerns centred on oxybenzone. What should you do? The best advice is to look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that offers protection from both UVB and UVA rays but does not contain oxybenzone.
This will give you the most protection from the sun’s harmful rays without polluting your body or the environment.
Sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide are recommended by the Environmental Working Group.
You can find a list of brand name products that meet their recommendations online at www.doyourpart/columns. — McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.