Yes, this is an overly crunchy source.
CDC Finds 97 Percent of Americans Contaminated by Sunscreens
by Ellen Holder, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a new study showing that nearly all Americans are contaminated with oxybenzone, a widely-used sunscreen ingredient. This chemical so far has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage, as well as low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers are exposed during pregnancy. Oxybenzone is also a penetration enhancer, a chemical that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin. So where has the FDA been on this?
Apparently in the back pocket of the sunscreen industry. The Food and Drug Administration, again, has failed in its duty to protect the public from toxic chemicals like oxybenzone. Caving to the industry lobbyists, the agency has delayed final sunscreen safety standards for nearly 30 years. FDA issued a new draft of the standards last October under pressure from Environmental Working Group (EWG), but continues to delay finalizing them because of pressure from the industry.
In their online cosmetic safety database, EWG identifies nearly 600 sunscreens sold in the U.S. that contain oxybenzone, including leading brand names like Hawaiian Tropic, Coppertone, and Banana Boat, and many facial moisturizers as well. On top of that, they also show many of these so-called sunscreens offer inadequate protection from the sun. In fact, they found that sunlight also causes oxybenzone to form free radical chemicals that may be linked to cell damage, which is the exact opposite reason many women mistakenly use the sunscreen – to protect them from damaging free radicals which lead to premature aging!
And interestingly, as sunscreen sales have risen, so has the rate of skin cancers. Go figure. We’ve been pressured to believe that the sun is our enemy and we need to slather on loads of sunscreen to protect ourselves, when in actuality we need sunlight for our bodies to manufacture vitamin D. For those of us who are either fair skinned or just plain vain and worry about age spots and wrinkles, limiting our unprotected sun exposure to 20 minutes a day is adequate for our daily dose of vitamin D. For more fun in the sun, overexposure can be avoided by using a natural or organic sunscreen with a reflective barrier like zinc, instead of chemical sunscreens. Even a small amount of shea butter rubbed into the skin daily offers a bit of natural UV protection. Whatever you do, don’t wait for the FDA to help you in your choice. Based on their history in this category, it could be another 30 years before safety standards are improved.
References:
1. Environmental Health Perspectives: Concentrations of the Sunscreen Agent, Benzophenone-3, in Residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003�2004
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/11269/11269.html
2. Environmental Working Group: Comments from EWG on the U.S. FDA’s Proposed Amendment of Final Monograph for Sunscreens
http://www.ewg.org/node/25705
3. Environmental Working Group: Americans Carry ‘Body Burden’ of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical
http://www.ewg.org/node/26212
I followed through on ewg.org’s website
I fully support and encourage non-governmental industry watchdogs reporting whatever they feel is right and letting individuals evaluate information provided by such groups for themselves for things that concern them as they are brought to their attention. Not surprisingly to anyone who knows my philosophical/political leanings, I don’t think that having agencies such as the FDA is really a very good approach at all, due to inherent conflict-of-interest issues exemplifed in the article you quoted, as well as other reasons.
But the list of “hazards” and the degree of “hazard” listed by ewg.org for a lot of common ingredients, many completely natural, many used for hundreds of years without problems, some also produced by our own bodies, seems somewhat “over the top” to me. I think I’m going to discount this particular author’s conclusions and this group’s warnings as engaging in a bit of hyperbole (yes, in the “overly crunchy” direction), and continue to use the sunscreen that I feel has been working well for me (Aloe Gator SPF 40 gel, which does contain oxybenzone), at least for my own self and kin, while hoping and wishing that everyone else will look for themselves at the source you cite as well as others and draw their own conclusions.
Thank you for bringing the subject up to the attention of your friends. I think it was worth taking a look at, even if I didn’t reach the same conclusions as the author who’s article you posted. All the while noting that you have, as you often do, refrained from including your own opinion (other than to say that the source is “overly crunchy”).
BTW, the ehponline.org link to the article you named appeared broken to me. It seems to have been moved here:
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/11269/11269.html
Re: I followed through on ewg.org’s website
😀 I did refrain from stating an opinion. 😀
I’m not sure I agree with all of the hysteria. I will not be going through and tossing all of the sunblock I currently own but I might make different choices next time I’m out shopping.
I have mixed feelings about all the chemicals in products. It makes me very uncomfortable given the rise in problems over the years. I don’t know if there is a causation going on but correlation seems probable.
Thanks for the link fix. 🙂
Re: I followed through on ewg.org’s website
I like the old fashioned approach, limited sun exposure and a good hat
I’ve never really used sunscreen at all, except for maybe when showing up in Brazil with completely white skin and knowing we were going to the beach… but how often does that happen?