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Sunscreens May Actually Cause Skin Cancer

Sunscreens are suppose to protect your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. However, the very ingredients that offer sun protection have been found to have adverse health effects. It has been found that, worldwide, the greatest rise in melanoma has been experienced in countries where chemical sunscreens are heavily promoted. Studies of individuals who regularly use sunscreen have shown a higher rate of melanoma in men and a higher rate of basal cell carcinoma in women.

In 1978 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the formation of sunscreen standards, but over 30 years later, still have not finalized them. As a result, sunscreen manufacturers have been allowed to continue selling products that don't protect adequately, have harmful or untested ingredients, make unsubstantiated claims, and are not required to list all ingredients on their labels. Some also use unapproved sunscreen chemicals in their products and list them as inactive ingredients.

UVA radiation penetrates deep into the skin. UVB radiation is stronger and affects the outer layer of the skin causing sunburn. Both cause premature aging and skin cancer.

The FDA considers both UVA and UVB radiation protection equally important, but their proposed regulations would not require that sunscreens protect individuals from UVA radiation. Instead they propose to allow these sunscreens on the market, only requiring the product to bear a "No UVA Protection" warning on the label.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) investigated 868 name brand sunscreens and found serious deficiencies in the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens sold in the United States. Of the 868 sunscreen products tested, the EWG found that:

•83% provide inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns.

•52% bear claims that are unacceptable or misleading.

•53% contain ingredients that may be unstable. They lose effectiveness in filtering out UV radiation or form potentially toxic degradation by-products.

•Many sunscreens fail to provide adequate UVA protection.

•Some sunscreens contain ingredients that act as anti-inflammatory agents that artificially boost SPF (sun protection factor) ratings.

There are 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the United States, but the majority of them may actually increase cancers. Chemical sunscreens are free radical generators which increase cellular damage that lead to cancer, have estrogen-like effects, and are synthetic chemicals that are alien to the human body. (Remember, in just 26 seconds after any exposure to chemicals on your skin or in your lungs, traces of these chemicals can be found in every organ of your body.) Some of these sunscreen chemicals are:

•Benzophenone (oxybenzone) - present in most sunscreens; easily absorbed through the skin; causes irritations and allergies; and is a hormone disrupter. Also used in many other personal care products.

•Padimate-O - found to cause DNA damage which can lead to cancer.

•Avobenzone - easily absorbed through the skin; degrades and becomes ineffective within one hour.

•Diethanolamine (DEA) - may lead to cancer causing compounds if the sunscreen contains nitrites; is often not disclosed on sunscreen labels.

Most sunscreens also contain parabens (hormone disrupters) and synthetic fragrances (can cause allergies and asthma).

Extra precaution should be taken when applying sunscreens on children as they are less able to detoxify and excrete chemicals. Also, children's developing organs are more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures and more sensitive to low levels of hormonally active compounds.

Since the FDA keeps delaying the finalization of its safety standards for sunscreens, and since sunscreen manufacturers are still allowed to manufacture substandard sunscreen products that consumers can't trust, finding a safe sunscreen product is not an easy task. But, there are companies who do care about the health of consumers, and who produce quality natural broad spectrum sunscreen (protects against both UVA and UVB radiation) products that are approved as safe by the Environmental Working Group. Natural sunscreens will contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Please visit http://www.edennaturalproductsresource.com, a resource for consumers of companies who produce truly natural health and personal care products.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Sunscreen or Sunscam?, Environmental Working Group

Comments from EWG on the U.S. FDA's Proposed Amendment of Final Monograph for Sunscreens, Environmental Working Group

FDA dodges new sunscreen regulations again, The San Diego Union-Tribune, August 5, 2008

CDC: Americans Carry Body Burden of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical, Environmental Working Group

Concentrations of the Sunscreen Agent Benzophenone-3 in Residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Chemical Sunscreen Health Disaster, Skinbiology.com

Sunscreens, Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database