EcoMoms: April 2008

Doing our part for a healthier planet in Janesville, Wisconsin

Did you know?

A comprehensive review performed in 2007 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) indicates that 84% of 911 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant health safety concerns. To phrase it another way, a mere 16% of sunscreen products available to us as consumers are both safe and effective.

What moms can do:

IDEA #1: Choose a product that protects from UVA as well as UVB rays. Among high-SPF sunscreens (SPF of at least 30), 13% only protect from sunburn (UVB). UVA radiation is linked to skin damage and aging, immune system problems, and some skin cancers. The FDA does NOT require sunscreens to guard against UVA radiation.

IDEA #2: Select products that contain zinc and titanium as active ingredients. The EWG found that consumers using sunscreens without zinc and titanium are exposed to an average of 20% more UVA radiation, and four times the hazardous ingredients, including substances known or suspected to cause cancer, reproductive harm, disrupt the endocrine system and the immune system.

IDEA #3: Stay abreast of the nanotechnology debate. The science of nanotechnology is fairly new and the jury is still out, according to many, on whether nanoparticles will prove safe for human health. Nanoparticles are widely used in sunscreens, and no labeling is required to notify consumers. When you apply a zinc or titanium sunscreen, if it goes on clear, it is likely nanosized. If it goes on white, it isn’t.

IDEA #4: Before buying sunscreens, do some homework. EWG has a searchable cosmetics database called Skin Deep at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. You can search by specific product or by a class of products, and view ingredient lists and scores for health hazard and sun hazard for each one.

Why it’s important:

• Sunscreen safety standards do not yet exist. The FDA has been developing standards for nearly 30 years, but currently sunscreen makers can decide for themselves what advertising claims to make and how safe or stable their products are. Some ingredients currently in use actually degrade when exposed to sun!

• Some sunscreen ingredients have estrogen-like effects, and researchers have found these chemicals in test subjects’ blood and urine. We should be concerned about using these products on babies. Babies have about 3 times the relative surface area of an adult, and would thus be exposed at a much greater level than adults.


This EcoMOMs tip was brought to you by Dana Petersen Murphy, mom to Sabriel. You can contact me at dpmurphy@photokiva.com.