May 16th, 2012

Ready for summer break? You’d better do your homework before you hit the beach. Sunscreen products remain a risky proposition in the US, according to the 2012 Sunscreen Guide released by the Environmental Working Group today.

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June 21st, 2010

If you want to save your skin from the sun damage, you’ll have to do more than just slap on the sunscreen with the highest UVA/UVB number. In fact, there’s a wealth to learn about on the fine print of your prospective skin cancer protectant, and unless you’ve got a master’s in bio-chemistry, you’ll need a little help. That’s where the Environmental Working Group can help.

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May 18th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Summer just got more complicated. Now, in addition to watching out for skin-withering UV rays, you may want to examine your sunscreens for nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles might sound like the smaller (even tiny!) issue here, compared with the serious matter of protecting yourself from skin cancer with adequate sunscreen.

Here’s why some people believe you need to worry about both the sun and the nanos. Some research shows that nanos release free radicals that are activated by UV exposure.

Here’s what a March 2009 advisory from Friends of the Earth reports:

“Scientific studies have shown that nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide commonly used in sunscreens and cosmetics can produce free radicals, damage DNA and cause cell toxicity, especially when exposed to UV light. The concern is that rather than offering

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March 26th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Nanoparticles used in sunscreens and cosmetics may be harmful to the environment, according to U.S. scientists who have been studying the effects of nanos on living organisms.

Two separate studies, by researchers at the University of Toledo and at Utah State University and the University of Utah, found that the nanoparticles had powerful harmful effects on bacteria and a certain type of beneficial soil microbes.

The findings, released this week, were reported at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City. They are likely to fuel debate over the safe use of nanoparticles and concerns that consumers lack important information about the nano-engineering behind hundreds of personal care products already on the market.

“We have no assurance that they’re effective and we have no assurance that they’re safe either,” said Ian Illuminato, an advocate with Friends of the Earth, which wants the U.S. to require disclosure on products using nanoparticles.

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