Oxybenzone, just another ingredient to avoidAs regular readers will know CANCERactive has long held that ’
Sunshine is good for you; it’s burning that’s bad’. Sunshine on the fat layers under the skin causes vitamin D production which has been shown as an essential preventative aid now for many diseases.
But slip, slop, slap type campaigns have been the official norm for a decade or more to the health detriment of many.
Slapping on the suncream may not be in your best interests. In the CANCERactive SAFE SUN campaign we talk about the research behind melanoma and skin cancer 96 per cent of people with melanoma did not have enough vitamin D in their bodies indicating they hadn’t had enough sunshine; and half of the melanomas were in places the sun don’t shine on, according to US research.
So we looked at what might be causing the rise in skin cancers and research points a number of fingers at suncream ingredients, preservatives and even the plastic bottles. For example an ingredient has already caught the FDA’s attention: a synthetic version of a vitamin A derivative, retinyl palmitate. Then there are oestrogen mimics, like the preservative parabens, (PABA has been banned in certain countries), or BPA from some plastic bottles especially if they have been lying in the sun. Then there is the ingredient
Oxybenzone.
A recent study (Kunisue T, Chen Z et al, Environmental Science Technology, April 17, 2012 ) has added to previous concerns. In this study Oxybenzone was linked (along with other oestrogen mimics and oestrogen) to increases in endometriosis. This is a disease where layers of the womb overgrow and may extend into the abdomen. Severe cramping during periods is one sign. It is increasingly common in young women. The research showed that women with higher levels of an oxybenzone by-product in their urine had a 65 per cent increased risk of endometriosis.
Readers may also like to read:
The dangers of xenoestrogens: CLICK HEREThe CANCERactive SAFE SUN CAMPAIGN:
CLICK HERE