Swimming with sunscreen linked to cancer

TAKING a dip while wearing sunscreen could expose swimmers to cancercausing chemicals, research suggests.

Avobenzone is the most popular sun-blocking compound used in lotions and creams. But it can break down when it comes into contact with chlorine and ultraviolet rays, forming cancer-causing toxins, Russian scientists found.

In laboratory experiments simulating swimmers wearing sunscreen, the compound broke down to create aldehydes, phenols and chlorinated acetyl benzenes. The latter two are considered extremely toxic and are strongly linked with deadly tumours and infertility, Lomonosov Moscow State University experts said.

A study earlier this year hinted that aldehydes can raise the risk of cancer as they interfere with the body’s natural repair mechanism. Lead author Dr Albert Lebedev said of the research published in the Chemosphere journal: ‘Studying the products of transformation of any popular cosmetics is very important as very often they turn out to be much more toxic and dangerous than their predecessors.’

Dr Emma Wedgeworth, spokesman for the British Skin Foundation, said: ‘It’s really important that we keep on scrutinising the chemicals that we use on the skin, so this certainly needs to be looked into very carefully.’ Katie Edmunds, Cancer Research UK’s health information officer, added: ‘This study looked at how a group of chemicals react under different conditions in the lab. But this is a far cry from real life situations, or how they are used in specific products.’

The researchers are now studying how avobenzone breaks down under conditions of chlorination and bromination of fresh and sea water, where they expect the number of the breakdown products to be even higher.