Thanks goes to my friend Pat who sent me an article from the leading newspaper in Melbourne, Australia entitled, “Is Your Sunscreen Toxic?” Apparently, one steel works company has asked its workers to avoid using some sunscreens after it was discovered that “hand and finger-shaped damage was detected on some steel products. It seems installers had left nanoparticle sunscreens on the steel and in six weeks it caused damage equal to 15 years’ weather damage.”

Stop and think about this. The sunscreen that the workers applied to themselves was so caustic that it caused accelerated metal damage the equivalent of 15 years’ worth of weather exposure in just  6 weeks. Would you want to know what was in those products? Not as easy as it sounds.

As the article explains, the 2 key sunblockers are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, large molecules that don’t rub easily into the skin. And here’s where nanotechnology comes in. Scientists have long since figured out how to pulverize these substances into ”nanoparticles 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair or 200 times smaller than a blood cell.” Now, these particles spread easily on skin…

…which also means that they are absorbed into the skin where they have been shown to damage DNA. Australian scientists are concerned because it is unclear just how much of the metals accumulate in the body. In fact, the New South Wales government has recommended that labelling requirements for sunscreens and cosmetics indicate that nano-sized ingredients have been used.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia says that sunscreens with nanotechnology has been used safely since 1990 and that the “risks of excessive sunexposure are well documented and outweigh the proven theoretical risks related to nanoparticles.”

OK. But let consumers decide if they want to use sunscreens that accelerate the breakdown of steel, on their skin or their children’s skin. Oh and by the way, if you’re looking for a list of those products, the TGA has not been able to provide a list despite this being summer down under.

Cosmeticdatabase.com has supplied a list of sunscreen products that have been tested and recommended for use. Their researchers have done a pretty thorough investigation about the use of nanotechnology in sunscreens. Their results are surprising and worth looking at.

For further reading about what you’re putting on your skin and potentially into your body, check out these articles: ”Safe Cosmetic Products: How to Choose“, “Carcinogens and Toxins in Cosmetics: How Much Do You Want to Know?” and “Unlabeled Estrogen in Moisturizers Pose Potential Risks for Breast Cancer Patients“.

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