There's sunscreen in just about every cosmetic and lotion available, as well as most lip balms throughout the planet. Yet, skin cancer including melanoma is on the rise, just look at Australia. According to WHO “Currently, between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year” and sun exposure is the biggest culprit. While melanoma accounts for only about 4 percent of all skin cancer cases, it causes almost 80 percent of skin cancer deaths.
If sunscreen is available in most products and seems to be universally accepted and used, why is skin cancer on the rise in populations that do less and less outdoor work? Could ‘slip, slop'...be causing more harm than good?
Much of the latest information floating around about the safety and efficacy of sunscreens comes from a groundbreaking study released in 2011 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). They analyzed nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies of the 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the U.S. which included an analysis of sunscreen ingredient toxicity linked to 60 industry and government databases on chemical hazards, coupled with customized, product-by-product assessments of protection from both UVA and UVB radiation.
The Environmental Working Group determined that Vitamin A, often in the form retinyl palmitate, is frequently added to sunscreen/block products. Vitamin A may increase your odds of skin cancer. Recent FDA data indicates that forms of Vitamin A can be photo carcinogenic. Combined with the sun's UV rays, they can cause changes in your skin, which may form cancer. About 30% of sunscreens contain retinyl palmitate and should be avoided due to these and other medical concerns. However, in August 2010, commentary published in the Journal of the American Academy Dermatology claims that retinyl palmitate is safe in sunscreens.
Other chemical additives reviewed included:
PABA: Though uncommon now in skin preparations, forty percent of the population is sensitive to it, experiencing red, itchy skin.
Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate) and parabens may function like human estrogens and disrupt the normal hormonal functioning of the body including the lowering of testosterone levels in males.
Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and avobenzone): These two chemicals have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight.
The EWG study also found that 84 percent of 785 sunscreen products with an SPF rating of 15 or higher offer inadequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays, or contain ingredients with safety concerns. For example, some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals while others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns. And remember, about 20% of sunscreen products are not broad-spectrum - UVA and UVB.
After many years, the U.S. FDA finally weighed in on this issue with the publication of new labeling regulations. Manufacturers must make the following changes by the summer of 2012.
New sunscreen labels will allow products to claim "broad spectrum" protection only if they pass specific FDA tests for blocking UVA rays, and if they have an SPF value of at least 15. Products that earn the "broad spectrum" label will protect people from 90% of UVA radiation.
Products that don't protect against UVA, or which have an SPF of less than 15, will have to carry a warning, noting that they don't protect against skin cancer.
Sunscreens will also carry a "drug facts" box that provides detailed more detailed information about sun protection.
Sunscreens will no longer be allowed to market themselves as "sun block," "sweat proof" or "water proof." Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to say only whether they are "water resistant" for either 40 minutes or 80 minutes.
FDA would also bar sunscreens from claiming SPF values above 50, because there is no way to scientifically prove these claims. Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to claim only that products are "SPF 50+."
Shade Foundation of America Skin Cancer Foundation | Preventing & Treating Sunscreens - Are They An Oxymoron?©2011 | Health WorldNet, Inc. | Last Date Modified : May 6, 2013
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