Most people know that wearing sunscreen whenever you're in the sun is important to prevent skin cancer from UV radiation. However, you might not know that some sunscreens you're wearing to prevent cancer contain ingredients that increase your risk of cancer. It's important to think about which sunscreen you're using, especially during the summer when you're probably wearing it more often.
Many of the chemicals in sunscreen, such as chemical UV filters, can pass into your skin and enter your blood. They can also make it easier for other substances, like the other toxins that often make up the "base" of the sunscreen, to absorb into your skin. Studies have found that chemical UV filters are in 96% of Americans' urine and the breast milk of 85% of people from Switzerland, and these chemicals have been detected in amniotic fluid, follicular fluid, semen, umbilical cord blood, fat tissue, and the placenta as well. Oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and avobenzone, which are all UV filters that can be found in sunscreen, are absorbed into the body after just one use. Studies have also found these ingredients on the skin and in the blood weeks after use.
Many of the chemicals in sunscreen, especially chemical UV filters, have been found to increase risks of various cancers. Chemical UV filters have been linked to breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and skin cancer. They can also possibly lead to the formation of uterine fibroids. In addition, they have been linked to the spread of breast and lung cancer cells to other parts of the body. Chemical UV filters are also capable of damaging DNA, which can lead to cancer.
Many chemical UV filters are endocrine disruptors. Several of them have been shown to imitate estrogen and progesterone, disrupting your normal hormones' processes and resulting in reproductive abnormalities, such as enlarged uteruses. These chemicals have also been shown to impact testosterone, thyroid hormone, and steroid production. And, they can disrupt your metabolism. Some chemical UV filters have been shown to block hormones, like estrogen, from entering their receptors, which are where hormones bind to signal a cell to do something. This prevents the hormones from having an effect. Some chemical UV filters have also been shown to alter gene expression, which means that the cell won't end up doing what the DNA told it to do. Chemical UV filters can also potentially affect the weight of several organs, including the liver, kidneys, and thyroid gland. In addition, exposure to some chemical UV filters during pregnancy can cause the digestive system to misdevelop, potentially also leading to Hirschsprung’s Disease, which affects 1 in every 5,000 babies. Chemical UV filters can also disrupt reproductive organ, brain, and behavioral development, and they can be neurotoxins.
Chemical UV filters can also have many adverse reproductive effects. They can decrease sperm count, motility, and density, and increase the number of abnormal sperm. Chemical UV filters can also interfere with normal sperm function and disrupt processes needed for fertilization. A study showed that males with high exposure to certain chemical UV filters had a 30% decrease in fertility and longer times to conceive. Additionally, chemical UV filters have been linked to shorter pregnancies and abnormal birth weights. These UV filters can also reduce reproductive organs' weights and lead to delayed puberty in males. They have been linked to endometriosis and have the potential to harm egg production.
Oxybenzone is one of the most dangerous UV filters. It is one of the worst endocrine disruptors in sunscreens, is carcinogenic, and can negatively affect birth outcomes. Octinoxate is also harmful, due to its endocrine-disrupting properties and ability to trigger allergic reactions. Benzophenone-3 is linked to many reproductive, allergic, and hormonal issues. Those are only a few of the harmful UV filters. In addition, most chemical UV filters are harmful for ocean life and can kill coral. The safest type of UV filter is a mineral-based one. There are two main kinds of these: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Neither of these options are safe as nanoparticles, which are very small versions of the molecules. During the first trimester of pregnancy, exposure to nano titanium dioxide through spray-on sunscreen can damage the fetus's main artery and umbilical vein, and later in pregnancy, it can cut off the fetus's blood supply. Nano titanium dioxide can also speed up your skin's aging process, alter DNA, and cause cardiovascular problems and cell death. Nano zinc oxide has been linked to mitochondrial damage, unplanned cell death, and DNA mutations. Regular sizes of these particles can't pass into the skin, and they don't carry those risks. Titanium dioxide releases cell-damaging particles when exposed to the sun more than zinc oxide does, and it's recently been getting attention for being potentially harmful, so currently, zinc oxide is the best option. However, it can be dangerous when inhaled, as are most UV filters, so you should not use spray-on or powder sunscreens containing it.
Beyond UV filters, many other ingredients in sunscreen "bases" can lead to reproductive harm, hormonal disruption, and cancer. Sunscreen can contain phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors linked to reproductive, thyroid, immune, and metabolic issues, as well as neurological conditions and allergic reactions. There are often many other cancer-causing ingredients in sunscreen, like PEGs and polysorbate 60 (which can be contaminated with the carcinogens dioxane and ethylene oxide). Most sunscreens also contain allergens. It's important to check the "base" sunscreen ingredients too, because they very often contain toxins.
Spray sunscreens are dangerous because they often contain the carcinogen and reproductive toxin benzene. A study of sunscreens in general even found benzene in 27% of sunscreens from different brands. Cream sunscreens have a lower risk of benzene contamination. In addition, you can inhale spray-on sunscreen, which is harmful because it can lead to respiratory issues and provides a direct route into your body for the toxins almost always contained in them. Keep in mind that you can still inhale toxic sunscreen particles even when you're not putting the sunscreen on yourself. Try to stay away from others when they're using spray-on sunscreens. And, spray-on sunscreen is flammable - even when it's dry. So it's best to choose cream sunscreen.
Badger sunscreens are some of the safest sunscreen options! All of their sunscreens have non-nano zinc oxide as a UV filter. They also use uncoated zinc oxide, which means that it is pure zinc oxide that isn't coated with any toxic substances. Their ingredients are very safe and all organic, except zinc oxide, which can't be classified as organic because it is a mineral. The Sport Mineral Sunscreen Tin - SPF 40, Adventure Sport Mineral Sunscreen Tin - SPF 50, and Sport Mineral Sunscreen Cream - SPF 40 all only contain Zinc Oxide, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Beeswax, and Sunflower Vitamin E. The Active Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 35 and Mineral Sunscreen Lip Balm - SPF 15 contain Zinc Oxide, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Shea Butter, and Sunflower Vitamin E. The Active Mineral Sunscreen Cream - SPF 30 contains Zinc Oxide, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Beeswax, Sunflower Vitamin E, and Organic Seabuckthorn Extract. I recommend the sunscreens in tins! They're very easy to apply, not in plastic containers, and they last for a long time (much longer than you would expect from looking at it!). I wouldn't choose the Baby or Kids sunscreens Badger offers, because they include extra, unnecessary ingredients like flower extract and chamomile oil, which can potentially irritate skin and can sometimes be contaminated with harmful substances. All of the regular Badger sunscreens are safe for use with babies and kids! Many Badger sunscreens are available from places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, as well as directly from Badger.
Wearing sunscreen when you're in the sun is extremely important to prevent skin cancer from UV radiation. Choosing a safe sunscreen is also very important to prevent many other issues, like hormone disruption, reproductive problems, and cancer. Most sunscreens on the market are dangerous, either because they use a toxic UV filter, are a spray-on kind rather than a cream, or have other harmful ingredients as part of the "base" of the sunscreen. It's important to choose a safe sunscreen with clean, simple, and organic ingredients, like Badger sunscreens!
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