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Got an Environmental Question? Send it to: EARTH TALK, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881. Or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com. Or e-mail us at: [email protected].
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
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Screen Your Sunscreen Carefully
There’s more to know about what’s in the bottle than the SPF on the label
Are sunscreens safe? Which ones do you recommend that will protect my skin from the sun and not cause other issues?
–Bettina E., New York City
Getting a little sunshine is important for helping our bodies generate Vitamin D, an important supplement for strong bones and for regulating our levels of serotonin and tryptamine, neurotransmitters that keep our moods and sleep/wake cycles in order. Like anything, though, too much sun can cause health issues, from sunburns to skin cancer. For those of us who spend more time in the sun than doctors recommend — they say to stay indoors between 11am and 3pm on sunny days to be safe — sunscreens can be lifesavers.
Getting too much sun is bad because of ultraviolet radiation, 90 percent of which comes in the form of Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that are not absorbed by the ozone layer and penetrate deep into our skin. Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays make up the rest. These rays are partially absorbed by the ozone layer (which makes preserving the ozone layer crucial for our health). Because they don’t penetrate our skin as deeply, UVB rays can cause those lobster-red sunburns. Both types of UV rays are thought to cause skin cancer.
While most sunscreens block out at least some UVB radiation, many don’t screen UVA rays at all, making their use risky. By far most of the commercially available sunscreens do not provide adequate protection against the sun’s harmful UV radiation and may also contain chemicals with questionable safety records, according to the non-profit Environmental Working Group.
In all, 84 percent of the 831 sunscreens Environmental Working Group tested did not pass health and environmental muster. Many contained potentially harmful chemicals like Benzophenone, homosalate and octyl methoxycinnamate (also called octinoxate), which are known to mimic naturally occurring bodily hormones and can thus throw the body’s systems out of whack. Some also contained Padimate-0 and parsol 1789 (also known as avobenzone), which are suspected of causing DNA damage when exposed to sunlight. Furthermore, Environmental Working Group found that more than half the sunscreens on the market make questionable product claims about longevity, water resistance and UV protection.
As a result, Environmental Working Group has called on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to establish standards for labeling so consumers have a better idea of what they may be buying. In the meantime, consumers looking to find out how their preferred brand stacks up can check out Environmental Working Group’s online Skin Deep database, which compares thousands of health and beauty products against environmental and human health standards.
The good news is that many companies are now introducing safer sunscreens crafted from plant- and mineral-based ingredients and without chemical additives. Some of the best, according to Skin Deep, are Alba Botanica Sun’s Fragrance-Free Mineral Sunscreen, Avalon Baby’s Sunscreen SPF 18, Badger’s SPF 30 Sunscreen, Burt’s Bees’ Chemical-Free Sunscreen SPF 15, California Baby’s SPF 30, Juice Beauty’s Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer, and Kabana’s Green Screen SPF 15. Natural food markets stock many of these, or they can be found online at websites like Sun Protection Center and Drugstore.com.
For more information:
• Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org.
• Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.
• Sun Protection Center: www.sunprotectioncenter.com.
• Drugstore.com: www.drugstore.com.
Got an environmental question? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek: or e-mail [email protected]. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
