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US environmental NGO backs nanoparticles in sunscreens
Published: Thursday 31 July 2008
In its latest scientific assessment of nearly 1000 name-brand sunscreen, researchers Environmental Working Group (EWG), a US-based NGO, conclude ‘that zinc and titanium-based formulations are among the safest, most effective sunscreens on the market based on available evidence’.
The study, summarised under the title ‘Sunscreens: What Works and What's Safe’, also looked at many sunscreen formulations containing ‘micronized and nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium oxide particles’, and found that ‘consumers who use sunscreens without zinc- and titanium are likely exposed to more UV radiation and greater numbers of hazardous ingredients than consumers relying on zinc and titanium products for sun protection:
- […] Consumers using sunscreens without ZnO and TiO2 would be exposed to an average of 20% more UVA radiation — with increased risks for UVA-induced skin damage, premature aging, wrinkling, and UV-induced immune system damage — than consumers using zinc- and titanium-based products.
- Sunscreens without zinc or titanium contain an average of 4 times as many high hazard ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer or birth defects, to disrupt human reproduction or damage the growing brain of a child.
- [Sunscreens without zinc or titanium] also contain more toxins on average in every major category of health harm considered: cancer (10% more), birth defects and reproductive harm (40% more), neurotoxins (20% more), endocrine system disruptors (70% more), and chemicals that can damage the immune system (70% more) (EWG 2007).
- […] and in contrast to zinc and titanium, studies show that some traditional sunscreens like oxybenzone and octinoxate definitely absorb into healthy skin — in large amounts according to some studies. These ingredients have higher rates of allergic reactions, and act like estrogens in the body, raising potential concerns for breast cancer, and showing effects like hormone-driven uterine damage in other studies.'
The EWG researchers 'also reviewed 16 peer-reviewed studies on skin absorption, nearly all showing no absorption of small-scale zinc and titanium sunscreen ingredients through healthy skin, […] finding few available studies on the absorption of nano-scale ingredients through damaged skin, but nearly all other sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the U.S. also lack studies measuring absorption through damaged skin.'
Follow these links to read access the full EWG sunscreens study, or to read the also looked at many sunscreen formulations containing summary on nanotechnology in sunscreens.
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The June issue of the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology features a paper that clarifies that ‘the current evidence suggests that nano-sized cosmetic or sunscreen ingredients pose no potential risk to human health, whereas their use in sunscreens has large benefits, such as the protection of human skin against skin cancer.’ (1st June 2008)
In response to the publication of the Friends of the Earth (FoE) report on Nanotechnology & Sunscreens, a paper entitled 'Rhetorical gamesmanship in the nano debates over sunscreens and nanoparticles' identifies that the FoE report uses a ‘risk profile shift’ from raw nanoparticles to sunscreen formulations to suggest environmental health and safety claims. (March 2008)
EU Project provides 1st evidence: ‘TiO2 nanoparticles do not penetrate through the intact skin’
This month's issue of Experimental Dermatology features a publication of the results of the NANODERM Project; the study reports the ‘first evidence that TiO2 nanoparticles in vivo do not penetrate through the intact epidermal barrier.’ (February 2008)
This month's issue of Experimental Dermatology features a publication of the results of the NANODERM Project; the study reports the ‘first evidence that TiO2 nanoparticles in vivo do not penetrate through the intact epidermal barrier.’ (February 2008)