The Quick Facts: Before applying sunscreen on your children, you may want to consider the active ingredients contained in sunscreens, some of which could pose health hazards to your children. Sunblocks containing only a physical agent offer the greatest protection from UV radiation and may pose less health risk to your children than their chemical counterparts.
Off to the beach? The pool? The playground? Summertime fun is endless. But the risk of exposure to the sun’s harmful rays is something to be wary of while your children are at play. Sun protection is extremely important. So too is ensuring the sunscreen you put on your child is safe.
Safety in the Sun
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the sun is the main cause of skin cancer—the most common form of cancer in the United States, with over a million new cases diagnosed each year. All skin cancers are harmful, and malignant melanoma can be deadly. Primarily because children spend more time outdoors than do adults, especially in the summer, the AAP reports that between 60% and 80% of sun exposure occurs before we reach the age of 18 years. For these reasons, it’s important that a sun protection product be not only safe, but effective.
An effective sun protection product will provide ‘broad spectrum’ protection—meaning it blocks both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. UVA rays are long-wave solar rays that, although less likely to cause sunburn, penetrate the skin more deeply. UVA rays are also thought to cause photoaging (wrinkles and leathering) and exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays. UVB rays are short-wave solar rays that are responsible for sunburns and are considered to be the leading cause of certain skin cancers.
Sunscreens and Sunblocks: What’s the difference?
Although many manufacturers of sun protection products do not distinguish between ’sunscreen’ and ’sunblock,’ technically there is a difference.
Sunscreens protect you with chemicals that absorb the sun’s UV rays.
Sunblocks protect you with agents that physically reflect, absorb, scatter and block the sun’s UV rays. Sunblocks block a larger percentage of UV radiation—virtually the entire UV spectrum, as well as some visible light.
Sunscreen Chemical Agent Active Ingredients
Common commercial sunscreens with chemical agents contain chemicals such as homosalate, cinoxate, menthyl anthranilate, octyl methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, avobenzone, and benzophenone. Homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), and benzophenone (benzophenone-3) are chemicals that may be of most concern in regard to your children’s health because they have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. This means that in laboratory rats they have been shown to disrupt hormones, affecting the development of the brain and reproductive organs. Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-) also mimic estrogen and therefore have the potential to affect brain development. Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and avobenzone) are chemicals that have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight. Research has shown that, when absorbed by the skin, these chemicals may attack cellular components, including DNA. PABA, which is rarely used now in sunscreens, although not toxic, can cause skin irritation for those people who are sensitive to it. Additionally, other chemical ingredients may not be dangerous or toxic, but may cause allergic reactions when absorbed by the skin.
Sunblock Physical Agent Active Ingredients
Sunblocks with physical agents usually contain either zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Zinc oxide (think lifeguard white) is a mineral that is not absorbed by the skin, and is therefore completely safe. Titanium dioxide is a mineral that, when injected into tumor cells in research studies, has shown phototoxicity—meaning the capability to damage skin upon exposure to light. Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen possibly carcinogen to humans. It’s important to note, however, that this classification is based on animal exposure to titanium dioxide dust, not skin care products. Research thus far indicates that titanium dioxide when used as a sunblock is safe and does not show phototoxicity, and that its protective effects far outweigh its dangers.
How to Choose a Sun Protection Product?
Most commercial sun protection products contain a combination of both chemical and physical agents. When choosing a sun protection product for your children or yourself, you might want to consider avoiding the potentially harmful chemicals and choose a product with physical agents. You might also look at products that have been granted a Seal of Recommendation by the Skin Cancer Foundation for meeting the “highest standards for safety and effectiveness”. (To learn more about this Seal of Recommendation and to obtain a list of recommended products, go to http://www.skincancer.org/aboutus/seal.php.) And, if you’re concerned about the environment and how sun protection products might negatively affect other animals when washed off with water, there are biodegradable sunscreens out there.
Things to Keep in Mind When Applying Sun Protection
Keep in mind that sunblocks and sunscreens do not prevent skin cancer, they only reduce the risk. The AAP, the Skin Cancer Foundation, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) all recommend the following precautions for children:
- use a sun protection product with a sun protection factor of at least 15 (note that if you choose a chemical sunscreen, an SPF higher than 15 may provide minimal additional protection, but might mean a higher concentration of chemicals in the product; the FDA has advised that increasing SPF from 30 to 40 requires 25% more active ingredients but provides only 0.8% increased protection);
- use a sun protection product that provides ‘broad-spectrum’ protection—meaning it will screen out both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) rays
- apply a sun protection product at least 30 minutes before going outdoors (note another advantage of physical sunblocks is that they provide immediate protection, while chemical sunscreens need 30 minutes of time to be absorbed by the skin to be effective);
- reapply a sun protection product every two hours;
- use sun protection even on cloudy days, and during all times of the year (snow and ice increase the risk of UV damage because of reflected glare);
- check the UV index for your area (via your local paper, TV, radio, the National Weather Service, or the EPA)—the higher the number, the greater the exposure to UV radiation;
- avoid the mid-day sun—between the hours of 10am and 4pm (teach your children the ’shadow rule’—if your shadow is shorter than you, UV rays are most intense);
- cover up with clothing, hats and UV-blocking sunglasses (UV radiation can contribute to cataracts, macular degeneration and eyelid cancers);
- be wary of medications that may cause photosensitivity such as Ibuprofen (PABA and oxybenzone are two chemicals commonly found in sun protection product that can cause a photosensitivity reaction);
- babies under 6 months should avoid sun exposure and be dressed in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts and brimmed hats, although many pediatricians may allow application of a minimal amount of sun protection product to an infant’s skin when shade and adequate clothing are not available;
- tanning booths and sunlamps are not safe alternatives to the sun as they use UVA rays.
Finally, lead by example; for as with most things, your children will mimic your actions. And keep in mind that a little bit of sun exposure—10 to 15 minutes three times a week—is a good thing given the health benefits of vitamin D (sunlight helps our bodies manufacture vitamin D), which include calcium absorption, a reduced risk of breast, prostrate and colon cancers, and mood improvement.
** This article is revised and updated from the original version, which appeared in Real Mama’s Summer 2006 Newsletter.
Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/ped_7_1x_Protect_Your_Skin_From_UV.asp?sitearea=PED (ACS article entitled, “How Do I Protect Myself from UV?”)
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/ (EPA, Sunwise Program webpage. The Sunwise Program is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach the public how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-, school-, and community-based components.)
http://www.aap.org/family/protectsun.htm (AAP article entitled, “Protecting Your Child from the Sun”)
http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/index.php (Skin Cancer Foundation website; webpage providing information on sun safety)
http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/Feat/sunscreen.htm&pub_id=8&article_id=712 (U.S. Pharmacist website; article entitled, “Sunscreen Recommendations for Children”)
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/7stpsun/596_7sun.html (United States Food and Drug Administration website; webpage providing article that appeared in June 1996 FDA Consumer, entitled, “Seven Steps to Safer Sunning,” by Paula Kurtzweil)
http://www.skincancer.org/aboutus/documents/InternationalSealList.pdf (list of products that meet the Skin Cancer Foundation criteria for effective UV protection)
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=103&s=sunscreens (article entitled, “Sunblock SSC: Best Sun Protection Tips—Why Sunscreen Alone is Not Enough”)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide (providing information on toxicology of Titanium Dioxide)
