Baby boy’s blister burns
Sunscreen controversy
A4-month-old boy is suffering from “horrific” blister burns after 50 SPF Cancer Society sunscreen failed to protect him from New Zealand’s harsh rays, his mother says.
The Cancer Society confirmed an investigation into the sunscreen had begun after five “serious” complaints this summer.
The organisation has about 60 complaints each season. This season 30 people have complained so far — on a par with previous years, said Cancer Society of New Zealand chief executive Mike Kernaghan.
Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin told the Herald that under its testing, Cancer Society, among other sunscreen brands, had not always met SPF claims, and it was a concern that needed addressing with more frequent testing by the manufacturers.
Reefton mother-of-two Lyndall Watson spoke to the Herald about her son’s “heart-breaking” experience.
On Saturday, the family arrived in the Marlborough Sounds for a break but their holiday quickly turned into a nightmare, Watson said.
That afternoon, about 1pm, the family headed to the beach. Baby Noah’s face and hands were covered in the 50 SPF Cancer Society sunscreen 30 minutes before getting to the beach, as they were the only areas exposed, Watson said.
Noah was kept in the shade with a hat on and she re-applied sunscreen within an hour, as it looked as if he was already getting burned.
“I trusted Cancer Society to protect my children. You assume they are a safe option as they are the experts, so the last thing I expected was this,” Watson said.
The family left the beach about 4pm, when Watson noticed a red spot on her son’s nose.
“At first I thought it was a mosquito bite but then it started spreading to his eyes and blistering. Seeing this happening . . . is heart-breaking.”
Her older son, who is 3, was burned on his back but not as badly.
“He was in the water so it’s surprising he didn’t get as burnt as Noah but then I guess his skin isn’t as sensitive as a baby.”
Four days later, after repetitive Aloe Vera gel layering, baby Noah was starting to recover. He was prescribed creams from his doctor and an ACC claim had been made “in case there are any issues down the line”.
“The doctor said we would need to keep Noah out of the sun for the rest of the summer and take extra precaution.”
Watson said she threw the bottle away but had bought it only three days before the outing so it could not have expired.
Kernaghan said five complaints from this season had gone through into a formal process.
“I can confirm we have been contacted by both of the people who have featured recently in the news around their sunscreen complaints.”
Watson said she had not made a complaint but intended to soon. She wanted to share her story to help warn others of the potential risks.
Kernaghan said the society was working through the complaints in a formal process: “This process aims to understand how the sunscreen was applied, how often and how much.
“This process ensures our products are working as they should.”
Chetwin said sunscreen providers should do more frequent testing.
Consumer NZ was awaiting results for the latest round of Cancer Society sunscreen. She confirmed the Cancer Society failed its SPF testing in 2017.