Dangers in Sunscreen

By now you have probably heard about the importance of Vitamin D. It seems to be the new fish oil of the health and fitness industry. More and more research continues to pour in about the problems that deficiencies cause. According to WebMD, " Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following: increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment in older adults, severe asthma in children and cancer. Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis." On top of that the majority of Americans are deficient, especially if you use sunscreen regularly as that blocks about 97% of absorption. Ok so we know Vitamin D is important but we also need to try to avoid that whole skin cancer thing by applying some sunscreen. As much as we want some Vitamin D it isn't a good idea to go to the beach without protection for hours at a time. This post is about what to look for when buying a lotion to protect you and your family.

The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) is an awesome resource to find information on potential toxins in cosmetics/sunscreens as well as pesticides in food and other health hazards. Every year they test and rate all the sunscreens on the market and rank them according to recent research and their standards. According to The EWG, "Recently available data from an FDA study indicate that a form of vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions (NTP 2009). This evidence is troubling because the sunscreen industry adds vitamin A to 30 percent of all sunscreens." I went to my local CVS to check out the sunscreens and retinyl palmitate was a common ingredient in almost all of the sunscreens. "In FDA’s one-year study, tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent sooner in lab animals coated in a vitamin A-laced cream (at a concentration of 0.5%) than animals treated with a vitamin-free cream. Both groups were exposed to the equivalent of just nine minutes of maximum intensity sunlight each day."

Oxybenzone is the other compound that should be avoided when choosing a sunscreen. Oxybenzone is also a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical that can cause hormone disruption and cell damage. Researchers have specifically advised against using this chemical on children, who are especially vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Writing in the journal the Lancet, researchers noted: "It would be prudent not to apply oxybenzone to large surface areas of skin for extended and repeated periods of time unless no alternative protection is available. There may be an additional concern for young children who have less well-developed processes of elimination and have a larger surface area per body weight than adults, with respect to systemic availability of a topically applied dose."

Here is a complete list from the EWG on the best sunscreens for 2011, http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/
You can also search your current sunscreen to see if it contains any of the potential health dangers.

For further information I encourage you to check out www.ewg.org for yourself but in the mean time avoid RETINYL PALMITATE and OXYBENZONE!