Aug 10, 2013 4 min read

There’s a popular summer product which, according to some, is safe only 25 percent of the time.

Guesses might tend toward more classically risky items like skateboards or water skis, but the thing which may threaten our health up to 75 percent of the time can be found at your closest Rite Aid, Walgreens or Dollar General.

It’s sunscreen.

Just two hundred of 800 types of sunscreen tested by the Environmental Working Group, an American environmental advocacy group, last year were found to be free of chemicals that may actually cause skin cancer.

Wait a second, isn’t that what we’re supposed to be preventing by slathering on all this white goop in the first place?

Well, yes.

Chemicals such as oxybenzone and retinal palmitate (a type of vitamin A) are effective UVA and UVB blockers and endorsed by the federal Food and Drug Administration, but the science behind them adds quite a few items to the con column.

Though approved for use since 1978, oxybenzone threatens a host of undesirable changes such as cellular changes and endocrine disruption, and is at detectable levels in 97 percent of Americans. A cleanse sounds good about now, huh?

As for retinal palmitate, UV light breaks down its molecules to produce free radicals, which damage DNA and can lead to cancer. It’s even thought that this nasty little chemical may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions. The icing on the Coppertone cake is a possible accumulation of vitamin A the bloodstream high enough to threaten a developing fetus. Ick.

There are endless lists of recommendations, do-this-not-thats and grating little statements that include the word “should” when it comes to our health and safety, but protecting ourselves from the sun’s rays always seemed like a no-brainer. The hardest thing about it is remembering to pack the suntan lotion in the first place!

Extremists say that the best sunscreen is a shady spot, and, for some, that may sound just dandy.

For beachgoers and ball game-frequenters, however, sunscreen (not sunblock because the FDA no longer allows the term) that uses zinc and titanium oxide particles or mineral-based lotions are preferred to the more toxic varieties.

Though they are considered “better,” the zinc and titanium oxide varieties can still be concerning. The metals in these products exist as nanoparticles, which can be absorbed through skin and even inhaled.

A Google search yields over 75,000 pages dedicated to the benefits of natural sunscreens and DIY recipes whose “active ingredients” range from avocado and peppermint to larger-particle zinc oxide.

Many homemade sunscreens are based on the concept of providing a high degree of moisture to the skin with products known to confer low levels of sun protection. The use of natural oils, avocado and the like, may be super-nourishing for skin, but does not offer the super-important UVA/UVB protection which threatens our cells the most.

For those of you thinking, “Okay, Ab, lots of words, and I still don’t know what to do,” I don’t blame you.

We’re in the same boat; I don’t know what to do either.

Here’s what I do know: Our species has no history of living only in shaded areas. It’s probably unwise to intentionally expose your body to large doses of the sun, especially since this almost necessitates the liberal use of full-strength sunscreen full of nasty chemicals. It’s also unwise to cower from the sun (barring medical conditions which require this) because our own star does many wonderful things for our bodies in moderation.

There it is. The most cliche, and therefore irritating, word in all of advice-land: moderation.

It’s boring. It has absolutely no personality. And, just like good advice from Mom, it has a point.

Abigail Mackey is a registered nurse. For more quips and tips refer to her blog, “The Written Remedy” (thewrittenremedy.blogspot.com). Abby can be reached at amackrn23@gmail.com or on Twitter at @AbigailMackeyRN.