Is Your Sunscreen Harming Your Health?

Some of you are still looking forward to a late summer or fall vacation.  And it is quite possible that you are going to need some sunscreen where you are going.  Before you decide what sunscreen to slather on you may want to look at the recommendations by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

We all understand that advertising claims are not always in alignment with how a product works.  But we do expect some truth when it comes to manufacturer’s claims.  In many instances we rely on our government to watch dog manufacturers.  So it came as a surprise to me that the sunscreen manufacturers have only suggested guidelines.

The U.S. congress mandated that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) would set some sunscreen safety standards for sunscreen manufacturers by May of 2006.  In 2007 the FDA published voluntary standards but has yet to fulfill the congressional mandate regulating product safety.  Luckily the EWG tested products and provides us with their top ten.

Products were tested for:

  • UVA Protection
  • UVB Protection
  • Product Remains Stable in Sunlight
  • Ingredients Pose no Health Hazard

The TOP TEN Sunscreen Products:  Effective with a Low Hazard Rating:

  • Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock SPF 30
  • Turkid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum SPF 30
  • California Baby Sunblock Stick Everyday / Year-Round SPF 30
  • California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance SPF 30
  • Badger Sunscreen SPF 30
  • Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
  • Lavera Sunscreen Neutral SPF 40
  • Vanicream Sunscreen SPF 35
  • Vanicream Sunscreen Sport SPF 35
  • California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance SPF 30

The EWG tested 952 name-brand sunscreens.  You can see all their results at www.ewg.org.

Things to keep in mind when you are shopping:  All those chemicals that you rub or spray on can be absorbed through your skin and get into your blood stream and the spray sunscreens can accidentally be inhaled into your lungs again putting chemicals that have potential to harm you inside your body.

While exposure to sunlight is good for us, sunburns are not.  Be smart when shopping for a sunscreen product.  Let’s practice some safety out there in these last few days of the summer sun.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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