Is Sunscreen Dangerous? 4 Sun Protection Do's and Don'ts

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i get allergy everytime it over the face. what brand can i safely use over face?

helen of LA 7:49PM June 20, 2010

I live in Florida. If you live in Florida Sunblock is only going to be healthy for you. If you live in Wisconsin that is probably not the case. If you can avoid sunlight, do so. However, if you can avoid Sunblock you should also do so.

Scott of FL 3:53PM June 10, 2010

is sunscreen good or bad for your skin?

linda of FL 9:13AM June 10, 2010

The average American absorbs through his or her skin about 2 kilograms, nearly 4.5 pounds, of chemicals from shampoos, conditioners, fragrances, skin creams and cosmetics and, of course, sun screen. None of them are good for you and many are potentially very, very bad. Anyone concerned about his or her health should apply as little of any product to his or her skin as possible, sticking to simple unscented soap (and avoid skin contact with chemicals like household cleaners, gasoline, etc.). No one knows what the "safe" levels might be, how the chemicals might interact with each other and other natural chemicals within us. Regulators assume in the absence of any overt and near-immediate reaction that the products are "safe enough". That of course is immensely industry-friendly but equally very bad science. For sun, limit exposure, wear hats and sun glasses (yes, your eyes are vulnerable to damage), cover up, and avoid the chemical soup of sun blocks and screens.

Alan Davidson 12:29PM June 05, 2010

i dont get this post.. first it tells you that sunscreen can give you skin tumors, then it says that you should put it on as much as possible when your in the sun. so is sunscreen good or is it bad?

kyle of WI 11:18AM June 03, 2010

sunscreen tastes good

jilly of ME 11:13AM June 01, 2010

I use SunSignals UV sensor stickers on my family. These stickers are US patented and monitor UV exposre by changing colors. When the sensor turns red it is time to reapply sunscreen. Real simple.

Catherine of IL 12:06AM May 30, 2010

I'm not sure Ms. Kotz knew and just left it out of her piece, or she wasn't aware, but her source - Dr. Henry W. Lim - who seems ready to defend sunscreens despite the known problems in the industry such as over-inflated and misleading SPF (sun-protection) claims and who blithely dismisses the FDA's ongoing Vitamin A research is also a paid consultant for a number of companies that manufacture sunscreen products.

With regards to the ongoing FDA-NTP study of retinol palmitate (a derivative of Vitamin A found in 40% of sunscreens) as a possible carcinogenic factor when it is applied to skin and exposed to sunlight - Dr. Henry W. Lim dismissed the findings on grounds the study tested the chemical on mice. But scientists throughout the world who assess human carcinogenicity risks consider the government scientists’ methodology and NTP (National Toxicology Panel) studies in general to be the gold standard for research.

Dr. Lim told US News' Kotz: "It's dangerous to apply a finding in mice to humans, and I've spoken with a number of my colleagues about this and we all agree that it's very premature to even cast doubt about the safety of this chemical."

This seems more like a statement you'd see come from someone paid by the sunscreen industry. Oh wait, he is. In the July 2007 edition of Skin and Aging Dr. Lim disclosed that he “is a consultant for Johnson & Johnson, La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Pharmaceutique, Orfagen Laboratories, and Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences.”

Of course, as EWG president Ken Cook put it in a letter sent 5/28/10 to the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Toxicology Program, urging their respective agencies to conclude their research into Vitamin A:

“As the FDA points out, “testing for photococarcinogenicity in humans is unethical; animal testing has been used as a surrogate.” As you well know, FDA, NTP and other scientific institutions are working to develop sorely needed non-animal methods for toxicity testing. Butuntil reliable non-animal models are available, animal tests are established, state-of-the-art methods for evaluating toxicity. FDA acknowledges uncertainties in applying these results to humans (FDA 2003), but nevertheless, NTP cancer studies like the RP study conducted by the center are currently considered the “gold standard” for assessing human carcinogenicity risks.” Cook’s entire letter to FDA and NTP can be found here: http://www.ewg.org/ewg-asks-fda-to-wind-up-study-of-vitamin-a-in-sunscreen

Alex Formuzis and Olga Naidenko, Ph.D

EWG

Alex Formuzis of DC 4:24PM May 28, 2010

As a little girl my mother, thank you mom, took every precaution to protect me from the sun because she said the "sun loved me too much" and in the middle of the summer I wore a hat, long sleeve shirt, pants, and tenny shoes. We would play outside until about 1:00 and then come in. We didn't go back outside until about 6 or six, when the sun was lower on the horizon. I did that to my son, as well, because he has my skin type. So, I don't take the sun's damaging effects lightly and if everyone takes heed, you'll be glad you did. It is a reality that the heat makes people crazy and "road rage" is a perfect example of that in the summer months.

lena of NM 3:22PM May 27, 2010

Now I am more confused? Who knows who to believe? Show me some lab reports and research and back up research on each of the concerns then I will be able to make my decisions.

cheryl Roxberr of PA 3:17PM May 27, 2010

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