Sunscreen – what do you really need to know?

Not surprising, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that 4 out of 5 sunscreen products don’t adaquately protect against sunburn and many contain chemicals that may be harmful. Leading brands were the worst offenders: Coppertone, Banana Boat and Neutrogena all cuased concern form the EWG

• The EWG’s criteria for safety and effectiveness, are: blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards.
• Sunscreens break down in the sun. Unfortunately, many sunscreens break down in the sun, in a matter of minutes or hours, and then let UV radiation through to the skin. It is a paradox, but 45% of products on the market contain ingredients that may be unstable in the sun.
• zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in sunscreen provide strong UVA protection, and are contained in most new sunscreens. However, powder and spray sunscreens might absorb more easily through the lungs than the skin. Causing damage and potential toxic expsosure.
• Some sunscreens absorb into the bloodstream and expose your child to chemical side-effects
  Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some could disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and others may build up in the body or the environment..

8% of high SPF products (SPF 30 and higher) have poor UVA protection

According to the EWG , 72% of sunscreens were labeled with one or more terms that FDA has said are indicative of a misbranded product, terms that are “unacceptable,” or terms that could “mislead consumers by inducing a false sense of security”.
These include “chemical-free,” “non-chemical,” “help prevent skin damage,” as well as terms like “sunblock,” “reflects,” “shields,” “protects,” “filters,” “screens,” “sun’s rays,” “sun’s harmful rays,” and all SPF designations greater than 50.

I suggest that you go to the Environmental Work Group website www.EWG.com for more details. That said, any sunscreen is better than a sun BURN for kids (or parents) so please do not let this information somehow scare you off all sunscreens. SUNBURNS ARE ALWAYS WORSE!

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am and is filed under Dr Geary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.