Great Site for Sunscreen Information

[Fellow Aspirant]

Hi All

It looks like we may finally be getting a summer here in the Great White North. Time to consider the effects of more outside exposure!

I am a huge believer in sun protection/avoidance. I just came across this site (found via the aid of the CBC) that is all about just such topics. I find it to be chock full of authoritative tips and info, the most valuable of which is their listings and charts of sunscreens. I found their "best" & "worst" lists to be especially eye opening.

Be as specific as you can when putting your info for your current sunscreen into the "search" box, as some companies have a huge range of screens on offer, and they can provide protection from excellent to dangerous within the same brand! (Neutrogena, for example.)

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/

Sun Safely, my friends!

Brian

P.S. The first time you visit, you'll come to what looks like a pay wall. Just click past it - it'll disappear. You can always donate later if you like!

Thanks Lucidity!

[lucidity]

Hello Fellow Aspirant,

It doesn't seem to be possible to go to that page without signing up.
So... that's not good.
Are you associated with that site in any way ?

But in general, if you want to avoid skin cancer, be very careful about sun screen.
.... don't wear any sunscreen at all, wear hats and loose clothing.

Why ? Because most of the sunscreens contain an array of chemicals that aren't good for you.
The worst thing you can do is to block the UVB light from the sun.
That's the stuff that makes your skin go brown... which in turn protects your skin from cancer.
That's also the stuff that your skin uses to create Vitamin D (And deficiency in Vitamin D is
associated with all most cancers and most chronic diseases)

UVB blockers are what the f*ckers were putting in sun screens for decades.
Tens of thousands died... and no one was held accountable.

be happy :-)

lucidity

[e.Man]

i would like to just state that i agree totally with what lucidity says; sun screen is not a good idea at all according to what i have read

beyond the chemicals, sun screen acts like glass (and sun glasses, which are also not good for you) in that it only blocks UVB while allowing UVA to pass, which is worse than blocking both, or none

consider the dramatic rise in skin cancers and cataracts since the use of these products became more widespread

also, as lucidity stated, vitamin D, which is apparently a major contributor to immune system support, is produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight

we are born of this earth and built to tolerate the sun, which is a strong indication to me that, logically, there is no need to protect ones self from the sun

just sayin' :)

further resources:

Potential health risks of sunscreen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_health_risks_of_sunscreen
Gabriele Stähler: Vitamin D3: http://projectcamelot.org/lang/en/gabriele_staehler_interview_transcript_en.html
The sunscreen myth: How sunscreen products actually promote cancer: http://www.naturalnews.com/021903_sunscreen_skin_cancer.html
Sunshine helps prevent skin cancer while sunscreens promote it: http://www.naturalnews.com/034493_sunshine_skin_cancer_sunscreen.html
Consumer Report Revealed That Says Sunscreen May Cause Cancer: http://www.neonnettle.com/news/823-consumer-report-revealed-that-says-sunscreen-may-cause-cancer-

many more resources here: https://www.google.com/search?output=search&q=%22sun+screen%22+site%3Anaturalnews.com

[Hervé]

Check this one too: Top Model says sun lotion is poison (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?13393-Top-Model-says-sun-lotion-is-poison&p=270710&viewfull=1#post270710)

[Bubu]

There is this fish sanctuary were we were are allowed to swim with the fishes a couple of weeks back we've been there again. Sadly we were not allowed to swim with the fish because according to the caretakers many fish died because of the sunscreen on the tourist. I got the opportunity to tell my children "See I told you not to use sunscreen"

[Quinnan]

I am another one who won't touch sunscreen. I do practise safe sun especially with the children so no one gets burned, but I find this anti sun thing bonkers. Especially when you look at cancer/vitamin D and the chemicals in the sunscreens.

[Fellow Aspirant]

I find this huge site to be unusually informative about sunscreens, given its scientific and well researched background; the authors are NOT corporate shills for the products, as are many seasonal sites that pop up every year about now. In fact, they make it very clear that the use of sunscreen is to be considered a LAST RESORT for people, for those who cannot avoid all exposure. The sun avoidance tips at the top of their info are thoughtful and common sensical. I know that many folks will NEVER use any type of chemical on their skin, but for those who do, will and MUST, this site is full of facts and tips that allow the selection of the best, most effective and least harmful (dare I say harmless?) products. Their chart showing the ingredients and their effects is, itself, worth reading, if only to educate oneself in order to warn others about what they are using. There are enormous variations among brands in the ingredients used, even within the same brand. Neutrogena is singled out, for example.

Here are a few of the categories used:

Sunscreen 101 Find the one that fits your needs

The Best Beach & Sport Sunscreens

Read the Report

The Best Moisturizers with SPF

Hall of Shame

Get a free Sunscreen Guide


Tips Before You Go Outside

Sunscreen should be your last resort

Wear clothes.
Shirts, hats, shorts and pants shield your skin from the sun’s UV rays, reducing risk by 27%.

Plan around the sun.
Go outdoors in early morning or late afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky.

Find shade – or make it.
Picnic under a tree or take a canopy to the beach. Keep infants in the shade, reducing the risk of multiple burns by 30%.

Don’t get burned.
Red, sore, blistered skin means you’ve gotten far too much sun.

Sunglasses are essential.
Not just a fashion accessory, sunglasses protect your eyes from UV radiation.

Check UV Index
The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent sun overexposure.


The Trouble With Sunscreen Chemicals

Active ingredients in sunscreens come in two forms, mineral and chemical filters. Each uses a different mechanism for protecting skin and maintaining stability in sunlight. Each may pose hazards to human health.

The most common sunscreens on the market contain chemical filters. These products typically include a combination of two to six of these active ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. A handful of products combine zinc oxide with chemical filters.

Active ingredient toxicity

This table outlines human exposure and toxicity information for nine FDA-approved sunscreen chemicals. We asked these questions:

Will the chemical penetrate skin and reach living tissues?
Will it disrupt the hormone system?
Can it affect the reproductive and thyroid systems and, in the case of fetal or childhood exposure, permanently alter reproductive development or behavior?
Can it cause a skin allergy?
What if it is inhaled?
Other toxicity concerns?


Chemical EWG Hazard Score Use in U.S. sunscreens Skin Penetration Hormone disruption Skin Allergy Other concerns References

UV filters with higher toxicity concerns:

Oxybenzone 8 Widespread Detected in nearly every American; found in mother’s milk; 1-to-9% skin penetration in lab studies Acts like estrogen in the body; alters sperm production in animals; associated with endometriosis in women Relatively high rates of skin allergy Janjua 2004, Janjua 2008, Sarveiya 2004, Gonzalez 2006, Rodriguez 2006, Krause 2012

Octinoxate (Octylmethoxycinnamate) 6 Widespread Found in mothers’ milk; less than 1% skin penetration in human and laboratory studies Hormone-like activity; reproductive system, thyroid and behavioral alterations in animal studies Moderate rates of skin allergy Krause 2012, Sarveiya 2004, Rodriguez, 2006, Klinubol 2008

UV filters with moderate toxicity concerns

Homosalate 4 Widespread Found in mothers’ milk; skin penetration less than 1% in human and laboratory studies Disrupts estrogen, androgen and progesterone Toxic breakdown products Krause 2012, Sarveiya 2004, SCCNFP 2006

Octisalate 3 Widespread; stabilizes avobenzone Skin penetration in lab studies Rarely reported skin allergy Walters 1997, Shaw 2006 Singh 2007

Octocrylene 3 Widespread Found in mothers’ milk; skin penetration in lab studies Relatively high rates of skin allergy Krause 2012, Bryden 2006, Hayden 2005

UV filters with lower toxicity concerns

Titanium Dioxide 2 (topical use), 6 (powder or spray) Widespread No finding of skin penetration No evidence of hormone disruption None Inhalation concerns Gamer 2006, Nohynek 2007, Wu 2009, Sadrieh 2010, Takeda 2009, Shimizu 2009, Park 2009, IARC 2006b

Zinc Oxide 2 (topical use), 4 (powder or spray) Widespread; excellent UVA protection Less than 0.01% skin penetration in human volunteers No evidence of hormone disruption None Inhalation concerns Gulson 2012, Sayes 2007, Nohynek 2007, SCCS 2012
Avobenzone 2 Widespread; best UVA protection of chemical filters Very limited skin penetration No evidence of hormone disruption Relatively high rates of skin allergy Klinubol 2008, Bryden 2006, Hayden 2005, Montenegro 2008

Mexoryl SX 2 Uncommon; pending FDA approval; offers good, stable UVA protection Less than 0.16% penetrated the skin of human volunteers No evidence of hormone disruption Skin allergy is rare Benech-Kieffer 2003, Fourtanier2008


6 other ingredients approved in the U.S. are rarely used in sunscreens: benzophenone-4, benzophenone-8, menthyl anthranilate, PABA, Padimate O, and trolamine salicylate


Chemical sunscreens

Nearly every chemical sunscreen in the United States contains avobenzone because it is the best available agent for filtering skin-damaging UVA rays. However, avobenzone alone may break down when exposed to sunlight and must be stabilized with other chemicals such as octocrylene.

Laboratory studies of several sunscreen chemicals indicate that they may mimic hormones and disrupt the hormone system (Krause 2012, Schlumpf 2001, 2004, 2008). Some research on animals suggests that oxybenzone and other sunscreen chemicals can be toxic to reproductive systems or interfere with normal development. Another sunscreen chemical, 4-methylbenzidyl camphor, used in Europe and under petition for use in the U.S. is a hormone disruptor.

Experts caution that the unintentional exposure to and toxicity of active ingredients erode the benefits of sunscreens (Krause 2012, Schlumpf 2010). But most conclude that more sensitive tests are needed to determine whether sunscreen chemicals ingredients pose risks to sunscreen users (Draelos 2010, Gilbert 2013). Generally, chemical sunscreens deserve special scrutiny because most are known to permeate the skin to some degree.

Two European studies have detected sunscreen chemicals in mothers’ milk, indicating that the developing fetus and newborns may be exposed to these substances (Schlumpf 2008, Schlumpf 2010). A 2010 study by Margaret Schlumpf of the University of Zurich found at least one sunscreen chemical in 85 percent of milk samples.

The most problematic of the sunscreen chemicals used in the U.S. is oxybenzone, found in nearly every chemical sunscreen. EWG recommends that consumers avoid this chemical because it can penetrate the skin, cause allergic skin reactions and may disrupt hormones (Calafat 2008, Rodriguez 2006, Krause 2012). Preliminary investigations of human populations suggest a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and its metabolites in the body and increased risk of endometriosis and lower birthweight in daughters (Kunisue 2012, Wolff 2008).

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected oxybenzone in more than 96 percent of the American population, based on a representative sampling of more than 2,500 children and adults (Calafat 2008). Researchers found higher concentrations of oxybenzone in samples collected from participants during the summer months and concluded that sunscreen use may explain this seasonal difference.

Mineral Sunscreens

Mineral sunscreens are made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, usually in the form of nanoparticles.

Mineral sunscreens usually rate better than chemical sunscreens for safety in the EWG database. However, it is important that manufacturers use forms of minerals that are coated with inert chemicals to reduce photoactivity. If they don’t, users could suffer skin damage. To date, no such problems have been reported.

The FDA should set guidelines and place restrictions on zinc and titanium sunscreens to minimize the risks to sunscreen users and maximize these products’ sun protection. Our detailed analysis of nanoparticles in sunscreens is here.

Inactive ingredients

FDA must also take a close look at the so-called “inactive ingredients” in sunscreens. These typically make up half to nearly all of a sunscreen product.

One ingredient in particular is a cause for concern: methylisothiazolinone, or MI, a preservative. This year, EWG has found MI listed on the labels of 91 sunscreens, 13 marketed for children and 54 SPF-rated daily moisturizers. MI is used alone or in mixtures with a related chemical preservative called methylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI.

The American Contact Dermatitis Society named MI its “allergen of the year”

in 2013 Laboratory studies indicate that MI is a skin sensitizer or allergen. Over the past several years, physicians have reported serious cases of serious skin allergy, most notably in children exposed to MI from baby wipes and other products meant to be left on the skin (Chang 2014). In a study published last year, researchers at Baylor University surveyed the ingredients in 152 children’s body care products labeled “hypoallergenic” and found MI in 30 of them (Schlichte 2014). One of these was a Neutrogena sunscreen marketed under the name “Pure & Free Baby” sunscreen.

Last January, researchers from 15 clinics in the U.S. and Canada reported an increase in MI allergy in patients. The researchers concluded that they had documented “the beginning of the epidemic of sensitivity to methyliosthiazolinones in North America.” (Warshaw 2015).

Brian

[e.Man]

Fellow Aspirant - i think when you said "I am a huge believer in sun protection/avoidance." we, or at least certainly me, assumed you slopped sunscreen all over yourself every time you went outside LOL

yeah, i agree, if you have to be in the sun then it may well be necessary - even with light clothes on you can still burn

sorry for the misunderstanding :)

[Fellow Aspirant]

Fellow Aspirant - i think when you said "I am a huge believer in sun protection/avoidance." we, or at least certainly me, assumed you slopped sunscreen all over yourself every time you went outside LOL

yeah, i agree, if you have to be in the sun then it may well be necessary - even with light clothes on you can still burn

sorry for the misunderstanding :)

LOL! No problem, e.Man. As a guy who had a patch of basal cell carcinoma removed from my cheek at the age of 20, I have spent a LONG time avoiding the sun and trying to tell others about the dangers. Solid shirts, long pants when possible and of course big hats (Hello Bill!) are part of my wardrobe. Still, I spend a lot of time outside with my face exposed and I love to snorkel, so ... I sought out what extra help I could find.

I taught high school for 30 years and was always apalled when students would start showing up in my classrooms after a long sunny weekend with scarlet - everything! I would then give my annual lecture about sun safety and watch their eyes glaze over. Nowadays there is a lot more awareness about it, especially amongst parents. However many, too many, still put their faith in sunscreen use alone. These are the folks we need to reach. There are some sunscreens that are more benign than others and should remain options - others are worse than nothing, including some I've used myself. Knowledge is power. It may also keep us from glowing in the dark!

Cheers!

Brian