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torquillStudy: Many Sunscreens May Be Accelerating Cancer
The culprit is not one of the polysyllabic synthetic chemicals (though there are plenty of those whose effects are unknown or suspect)... it's vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate. Antioxidant it may be, but upon exposure to the sun it can become carcinogenic, reflecting the often delicate structure of many antioxidants. They're reactive by nature, it's how they do their jobs, but if vitamin C breaks down with exposure to heat and light, it's no great surprise that putting vitamin A out on the front lines of sun exposure might not be a great idea.
The Environmental Working Group report is yet another dismal assessment of our sunscreen options in the U.S. They do recommend a few of them, but the best way to prevent skin cancer and burns is still to avoid the sun and wear protective clothing.
I've never been more glad that skin cancer doesn't run in my family, as that's still the greatest source of risk -- long sleeves and staying out of the sun is not especially practical for field work in agriculture. I'll keep relying on a base tan and the simplest sunscreens I can find. For those of you with fair skin and/or a risk of skin cancer... be careful out there, and read labels.
The culprit is not one of the polysyllabic synthetic chemicals (though there are plenty of those whose effects are unknown or suspect)... it's vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate. Antioxidant it may be, but upon exposure to the sun it can become carcinogenic, reflecting the often delicate structure of many antioxidants. They're reactive by nature, it's how they do their jobs, but if vitamin C breaks down with exposure to heat and light, it's no great surprise that putting vitamin A out on the front lines of sun exposure might not be a great idea.
The Environmental Working Group report is yet another dismal assessment of our sunscreen options in the U.S. They do recommend a few of them, but the best way to prevent skin cancer and burns is still to avoid the sun and wear protective clothing.
I've never been more glad that skin cancer doesn't run in my family, as that's still the greatest source of risk -- long sleeves and staying out of the sun is not especially practical for field work in agriculture. I'll keep relying on a base tan and the simplest sunscreens I can find. For those of you with fair skin and/or a risk of skin cancer... be careful out there, and read labels.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 21:11 (UTC)Regardless, I've rarely worn sunscreen here and have mostly done what you do. But since I began antibiotics that make me sun-sensitive, I'm in the market for a solarweave parasol, or want one as a DIY project... I just want to make a stylish one, which will be its own challenge.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 22:27 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 22:34 (UTC)