Sunscreen Safety
Now that summer is officially underway, it is time to trade in those winter woolly boots for flip flops and intensive skin salves for chapped dry skin for high-grade SPF sunscreen. Protecting yourself and your family from the growing intensity of the sun’s rays may not be as simple or as safe as grabbing the cheapest SPF 50 spray-on sunscreen from the drugstore shelves. Most traditional sunscreens contain numerous chemical compounds that absorb through the skin and can disrupt healthy hormone functioning (also known as “endocrine disruptors”). According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research group dedicated to raising awareness about environmental exposures that impact health, only 8% of 500 sunscreens tested were deemed both safe and effective. The top rating sunscreens are mineral-based and do not contain oxybenzone or vitamin A (which may be harmful to skin with exposure to UV rays). To check the rating for your sunscreen and to read more about sun safety, visit the EWG’s 2010 Sunscreen Guide.
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