Green Sunscreen?

Here's some information that was news to me....from the Green Guide of the National Geographic website. The type of sunscreen you purchase and use has an effect on yourself, as well as ocean life.

Here are some tips about ingredients to look for in sunscreen:

a). Look for mineral ingredients titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that physically block ultraviolet (UV) rays from reaching your skin (sunblock).

b). Also look for "broad-spectrum protection," which means it protects against both types of ultraviolet (some UVA and UVB) rays. Don't just rely on the SPF Number.

c). Try to avoid chemical UV absorbers in sunscreen.
*Many chemical UV absorbers have been found to act like estrogen in the body: benzophenone, oxybenzone, octinoxate (also called octyl methoxycinnamate) and homosalate are all chemical sunscreens to avoid for this reason.

*Avobenzone (also called Parsol 1789) degrades quickly when exposed to sunlight.

*Padimate O, was found to cause breast cancer cells to multiply in test tubes.

*Benzophenone may also cause allergic reactions.

*All of these chemical sunscreen ingredients have been found to increase skin absorption of pesticides on people who were wearing them during pesticide application.

*Seventy-eight million tourists visit areas with coral reefs every year, leaving behind 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen-and because many sunscreens are petroleum-based, they don't break down quickly in water.

When exposed to benzophenone or cinnamate-based sunscreens, coral developed viral infections that led to bleaching. The same happened when coral were exposed to paraben preservatives.

*Research has shown that some sunscreen compounds suspected to be endocrine disruptors are finding their way into fish tissue. Scientists have said some of these could alter reproductive function and birth weight in fish.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080129-sunscreen-coral.html


http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/sunscreen/environmental_impact

Reminder: SPF number (sun protection factor) measures the length of time a product protects against skin reddening from UVB (not UVA), compared to how long the skin takes to redden without protection. If it takes 20 minutes without protection to begin reddening, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer -- about 5 hours. (Actually, it may take up to 24 hours after sun exposure for redness to become visible.)

To maintain the SPF, reapply sunscreen every two hours and right after swimming. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends SPF's of at least 15, which block 93 percent of UVB. While SPF's higher than 30 block only 4 percent more UVB, they may be advisable for sun-sensitive individuals, skin cancer patients, and people at high risk of developing skin cancer. They also allow some margin for error if too little sunscreen is applied. (http://www.jaxmed.com/articles/wellness/spf.htm)

Here's the website from National Geographic and they have some brands of sunscreen as examples. My guess is that there could be brands that may combine both mineral and chemical ingredients within their sunscreen/sunblock.
http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/sunscreen/smart_shoppers_list

Related story: http://www.thegreenguide.com/travel-transportation/pollution-free-beaches