Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Sunscreen Woes - Beware of the Oxybenzone!

So, being that the fam is now spending the majority of the day outside, sunscreen has stepped up into the spotlight and in the last week or so, I have heard some reports that made my head spin about a very common sunscreen ingrediant: Oxybenzone.
Check out this article on Planet Green.
Reading about the hormonal effects of this stuff is quite scary. Any chemical that is absorbed by the skin and can "possibly" cause hormone disruption should at least come with a warning. This chemical is found in many children's sunscreens so start reading the ingrediants.
Here is another article reported by the Environmental Working Group based on research by the CDC.
Here is what I have gathered about oxybenzone:
  • It is an anti-inflammatory which means as you burn, you do not realize you are burning until it is too late
  • linked to allergies
  • linked to hormone disruption
  • linked to cell damage
  • reports that it impacts the hormones of fish
  • low birth weight baby girls
Sources for this information are EWG, Super Eco and Planet Green

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