News Coverage
Study Finds Many Sunscreens Ineffective, Hazardous to Health
Published July 22, 2008
Not to rub it in, but some sunscreens just don't work.
A recent study conducted by a non-profit environmental watchdog organization, Environmental Working Group, found four out of five name-brand sunscreens either do not protect as advertised or contain harmful ingredients.
The experiment tested each sunscreen to determine its overall effectiveness in three categories: UVA protection, UVB protection and the stability of the active ingredients during their exposure to sunlight.
According to the report, 15 percent of the 952 sunblocks tested for the study met EWG health standards in these three areas.
The EWG requirements are based on data from industrial, government and academic sources that establish criteria for the safety levels of potentially toxic chemicals often found in sunscreen. The risk factors also were based on tested products' effective ultraviolet radiation protection and their associated chemical stability.
According to the report, the FDA has set no mandatory standard for any of these categories. Sunscreen manufacturers are not legally obligated to produce products that protect consumers from the sun or guarantee consumer safety.
Of the tested sunscreens with a sun protection factor of 30 or more, according to the report, 7 percent lack the ingredients necessary for UVA protection, or, in the case of many products tested, only protect from UVB.
Russell Akin, a dermatologist at the Texas Tech University Health SciencesCenter, said he recommends the use of sunscreens that protect from both UVA rays - the rays linked to aging and skin damage - and UVB rays, which are the rays linked to sunburns. Overexposure to both UVA and UVB rays contribute to the development of cancer.
"Number one: SPF is a rating for UVB rays only, which are involved in causing cancer, but more involved in burning," he said, but UVA rays, which also can cause cancer, are linked more closely to cosmetic damage of the skin known as "photo-aging."
The organization's analysis found 48 percent of products on the market contain chemical compounds that quickly break down in sunlight. This instability prevents the products from protecting skin from UV radiation as effectively as they claim.
Some commonly misleading claims on sunscreen labels, according to the report, include broad-spectrum protection, all-day protection, waterproof and chemical-free.
Many sunscreens contain minute amounts of potentially hazardous chemicals, according to the EWG. While these chemicals do not normally absorb through healthy skin, using sunscreens in powder or spray form can introduce these chemicals into the bloodstream through the lungs after inhalation.
More effective UVA filters that could replace these potentially harmful ingredients are available in Europe but have not been approved for use in the United States, according to the report. Its conclusion: the United States lags behind other nations in the approval and utilization of more effective sunscreen chemicals.
The EWG study reported some leading brands - like Coppertone and Neutrogena - are the worst offenders, but there are a number of sunscreens on the market that do their job, such as Blue Lizard and the generic CVS Pharmacy brand.
Researchers identified 143 sunscreens that adequately protect and contain ingredients that cause minimal health risks to users.
Akin does not recommend a specific brand of sunscreen, but said he advises patients to use those with an SPF of at least 30 and to actually apply it accordingly.
He tells patients to wear hats and sun-protective clothing. He also asks them to stay in shaded areas if they are going to be outside for a long period of time.
"Putting on sunscreen doesn't mean that you're completely protected either," Akin said.
The rise in skin cancer cases resulting from prolonged exposure to the sun and tanning beds, Akin said, concerns many dermatologists.
The National Cancer Institute reported more than 1 million new cases of non-melanoma cancer in the United States in 2008. That type of cancer that resulted in less than 1,000 deaths during that year.
Americans could decrease their incidence of skin cancer, Akin said, by limiting the amount of time they spend exposed to the sun's radiation.
In its report, the EWG warned consumers about certain ingredients that may cause contact allergies when absorbed into the skin.
Contact allergies to ingredients like para-aminobenzoic acid, and benzophenones, Akin said, may result from suscreen use. These ingredients also are often found as additives in many over-the-counter products.
The report also advised consumers to avoid sunscreens with fragrances, dyes and insect repellents, which may cause allergies and reproductive problems.
Sunscreens with certain fragrances and dyes can caise allergic reactions, said Akin, and cause reactions generally not any more problematic than allergens found in other household products.
"It's something that we are commonly exposed to in our environment," Akin said. "It just happens to be in sunscreens as well."
After reading sunscreen labels, the study advised, buy sunscreen products with an SPF of 30 or higher, and look for products with at least 7 percent zinc oxide or titanium dioxide for broad-spectrum protection.
Several Texas Tech students who were exposed to the sun at a local swimming pool on Thursday were asked if they were wearing sunscreen. Of the six, one said she was.
Most participants said they do not wear sunscreen because they do not get burned and because they want to get a tan, which they believed sunscreen prevented.
Elaine Garcia, a senior Human Development and Family Studies major from Lubbock, said buying sunscreen can be a costly investment because she has to purchase the more expensive brands to get quality protection.
Hailey Short, a senior business major from Lubbock, said she wears sunscreen protect her skin from becoming "leathered" at a young age.
"I wear it because I don't want to have a wrinkly chest whenever I am old," said Short. "That's my main reason."
Caution should be taken when spending time outdoors in the summer, Akin said. The best thing one can do is limit their exposure to the sun.
"It is important to be smart," said Akin, "and do things that are reasonable."
