Is Your Child's Sunscreen Causing More Harm than Good?

Amy Gates — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:18:56 -0500

The Centers for Disease Control recently came out with some bad news for nearly all Americans who use sunscreen. A recent study shows one of the commonly used ingredients in most sunscreens (for adults, children as well as babies), a chemical called oxybenzone, has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage. In fact according to the study, 97% of Americans are contaminated with this chemical. Another study has showed oxybenzone is linked to low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers are exposed during pregnancy. Also worth noting is "oxybenzone is also a penetration enhancer, a chemical that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin."

No FDA regulations
The last time the Food and Drug Administration reviewed the safety of oxybenzone was in the 1970s. It republished its evaluation in 1978, and announced plans to develop comprehensive standards for sunscreen safety and effectiveness. However, it's been 30 years now and the Agency has yet to issue final regulations. "Instead, it encourages manufacturers to follow draft guidelines that the Agency has delayed finalizing at the behest of the sunscreen industry. As a result, sunscreen manufacturers in the U.S. are free to market products containing ingredients like oxybenzone that have not been proven safe for people."

No special safety standards for children
What really frustrates me is that many sunscreens are marketed specifically for babies or children, and one might expect that because of this they are somehow "safer," yet they contain the same chemicals as those sunscreens made for adults. There are no special safety standards for babies/children's products.

Additional cautions must be employed when considering the effects of oxybenzone on children. The surface area of a child's skin relative to body weight is greater than adults. As a result, the potential dose of a chemical following dermal exposure is likely to be about 1.4 times greater in children than in adults (SCCNFP 2001). In addition, children are less able than adults to detoxify and excrete chemicals, and children's developing organ systems are more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures, and more sensitive to low levels of hormonally active compounds (NAS 1993; Janjua 2004). Children also have more years of future life in which to develop disease triggered by early exposure to chemicals (NAS 1993). Despite these well-documented concerns regarding children's sensitivity to harmful substances, no special protections exist regarding ingredients in personal care products marketed for babies and children.

What does this all mean? Is YOUR child's sunscreen safe?
If you haven't yet familiarized yourself with the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database web site, I highly suggest you do so. Products from skin care to baby care, from make up to hair care and oral care (and more) are ranked on their hazard level.

Skin Deep lists 607 skincare products containing oxybenzone. Please check the list to find out if yours or your children's is on it. Again, I'm frustrated and disturbed that one of the worst sunscreens on the list is one specifically for babies - Walgreens Baby Sunblock.

So what IS safe?
Here is a link to a list of the sunscreen best bets for kids.
I was relieved to find the brand and type we have been using since Ava was about 9 months old - *California Baby SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion Everyday/Year Round - is on the list (the California Baby Sunblock Stick is also on the list and might be easier to apply. I'll be looking into getting some of that, especially since we're nearly out of the lotion.). I'm thankful that many of the mommies I know (which is where I got the recommendation for California Baby in the first place) do their homework when it comes to safe baby/child skincare products.
*You can purchase California Baby sunscreen and other products at health food stores like Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage and apparently Target carries it too, or order directly from the California Baby website.

Avoid these ingredients:

Oxybenzone - In sunlight, can produce allergy- and cancer-causing chemicals
DMDM Hydantoin - Allergen and irritant that can form cancer-causing contaminants
Triethanolamine - Allergen and irritant that can form cancer-causing contaminants

Safe Sun Tips

Minimize sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the greatest amount of ultraviolet light exists.
Wear Hats. Each inch of hat brim can lower your lifetime risk of skin cancer by 10%. A hat brim of four inches or greater is recommended.
Wear protective eyewear. Sunglasses with UV-blocking filters are very important.

Final thoughts
It's frustrating when the groups that are supposed to be looking out for our health and that of our children let us down, but it's things like these that reaffirm my belief of questioning authority. The best piece of advice I have is to arm yourself with information and trust your instincts. If dousing yourself or your child in chemicals doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. Find another way. In this information age where so much is available to us at the click of a mouse, it can be easy to find healthier and safer alternatives. Knowledge is power.

For more information, please check out: Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

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Amy
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
BlogHers Act contributing editor

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Is Your Child's Sunscreen Causing More Harm than Good?