Chemical Sunscreen Guide Gets It - Mostly

Chemical Sunscreen Guide Gets It - Mostly

Overuse Contributes to 105 Sunlight Deficiency Diseases

This is the fifth year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has published a chemical sunscreen guide. Admittedly the guide gets better every year. For example, this year the EWG highlights the importance of sunlight in the production of vitamin D. The EWG correctly identifies problems with current chemical sunscreens, like the fact that many cause skin cancer, none prevent skin cancer, high SPF give a false sense of security, most disrupt normal hormonal function, and most are unsafe for your children. What did EWG's chemical sunscreen get right?

Chemical Sunscreens Do NOT Prevent Skin Cancer

"FDA is not aware of data demonstrating that sunscreen use alone helps prevent skin cancer." – U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2007

"Sunscreens were never developed to prevent skin cancer. In fact, there is no evidence to recommend that sunscreens prevent skin cancer in humans." — Zoe Diana Draelos, editor of Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010

"It is not known if protecting skin from sunlight and other UV radiation decreases the risk of skin cancer. It is not known if non-melanoma skin cancer risk is decreased by staying out of the sun, using sunscreens, or wearing long sleeve shirts, long pants, sun hats and sunglasses when outdoors." – National Cancer Institute, 2009

"The [sunscreen's] ability to prevent sunburns (as measured by SPF) probably does not imply the ability to prevent melanoma or basal cell carcinoma." (Autier 2009, British Journal of Dermatology).

Chemical Sunscreens May Cause Skin Cancer

"Even though more people use sunscreen than ever before, and products are improving in quality, the incidence of skin cancer in the United States and other countries continues to rise (Aceituno-Madera 2010, Jemal 2008, Osterlind 1992)." – EWG 2011 Chemical Sunscreen Guide

"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." – EWG 2011 Chemical Sunscreen Guide

Too Little Sunlight Is Harmful

"Adding to the confusion is the fact that sunshine serves a critical function in the body that [chemical] sunscreen appears to inhibit — production of vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D in the body is sunshine, and the compound is enormously important to health – it strengthens bones and the immune system, reduces the risk of various cancers (including breast, colon, kidney, and ovarian cancers) and regulates at least 1,000 different genes governing virtually every tissue in the body (Mead 2008)." – EWG 2011 Chemical Sunscreen Guide

"Over the last two decades, vitamin D levels in the U.S. population have been decreasing steadily, creating a 'growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency' (Ginde 2009a)." – EWG 2011 Chemical Sunscreen Guide

Before heading to the beach or pool read the EWG 2011 Chemical Sunscreen Guide. You can find the guide at: http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/.

Comments

[Susan]

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Susan

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