Sunscreen safety — for our health and the health of our oceans

Here in the Sunshine State, many people rely on sunscreen to protect their skin from solar radiation. We trust that when we buy sunscreen in stores, the manufacturers have our best interests in mind. As we lather up or spray our children and grandchildren down from head to toe, we assume the sunscreen is made of safe ingredients.

After doing some research on the subject, I started making my own homemade sunscreen and covering up with hats and long-sleeve shirts, never to use conventional sunscreen again. I learned that conventional sunscreens are not only potentially harmful to humans but also have a seriously negative effect on ocean ecosystems.

Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and absorbs the substances that you put on it. Ideally, whatever you put on your skin should be non-toxic, because your skin “digests it” into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, research strongly suggests that exposure to certain chemicals in conventional sunscreens can cause adverse health effects in humans and is detrimental to coral reefs and other aquatic ecosystems.

Let’s look at these chemicals.

Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)

This chemical is a known endocrine disruptor, interfering with normal hormone function, and is linked to systemic toxicity, which may cause both allergies and photo-allergies. This chemical is harmful to aquatic life, especially coral reefs. So harmful, Hawaii banned the sale and distribution in 2008.

Octinoxate

(OMC, methoxy-cinnamate, or ethylhexyl methoxy-cinnamate)

These chemicals are also linked to endocrine disruption, as well as reproductive toxicity for females; researchers have detected it in breast milk, urine, and blood. These chemicals are harmful to aquatic life, especially coral reefs, and were also banned by Hawaii in 2008.

Homosalate

Like the other chemicals above, it is linked to hormone disruption, may enhance the absorption of pesticides, including bug sprays, and other harmful ingredients

in the sunscreen. This ingredient is persistent, meaning it does not break down in the environment, and is also not safe for coral reefs.

Nanoparticles of titanium oxide and zinc oxide

Nanoparticles are so small they are fast-tracked into the human system. Not enough research has been done on their effect on humans. Researchers have suggested that these tiny particles may be involved with coral reef degradation. Non-nanoparticles of both titanium and zinc oxides are safe.

Avobenzone

This chemical degrades quickly when exposed to UV light, which can create free radicals, causing oxidative stress and potentially contributing to premature skin aging.

It is estimated that up to 14,000 tons of sunscreen wash off into the oceans annually. The chemicals in traditional sunscreens are toxic and act as pseudo-persistent pollutants, impacting marine life in several ways, such as coral bleaching, damage to marine DNA, and disruption of the reproductive cycles of fish and sea urchins.

Some scientists claim the protection from UV radiation outweighs the risk of exposure to these chemicals, but there are other ways to protect yourself from the sun. There are safer options, including wearing hats, long-sleeved shirts, using shade tents, and buying environmentally safe sunscreens or making your own. The bottom line is to read the ingredients of sunscreen products and avoid the chemicals mentioned above, for human health and the health of marine ecosystems. We are actually polluting the ocean with sunscreen!

Here is a recipe for homemade sunscreen. It can be modified in many ways — oils can be substituted and ingredients used for color and tone can be adjusted. The preparation is simple: just melt these ingredients in a saucepan and then pour the homemade sunscreen into appropriate containers for use. This is a great project for kids!

It is worth mentioning that sunlight is good for you. It promotes the body’s ability to make certain nutrients like vitamin D, and it helps eliminate disease. Sunlight is proven to help individuals who suffer from anxiety and depression, improving a person’s mood through the production of serotonin. With our ever-increasing indoor lifestyles, insufficient sunlight exposure is now considered a major public health threat.

Just this month, the FDA announced a promising new ingredient for sunscreens in the United States, Bemotrizinol. This ingredient has been used in Europe and Asia for many years, and may be a good alternative. But we still don’t know if bemotrizinol is actually safer for humans or marine life. The evidence is simply not there; only time and research will tell!