Wednesday, July 2, 2014

More than two-thirds of conventional sunscreens contain harmful chemicals

(NaturalNews) It is one of the most pervasively destructive health myths circulating today -- if you don't use sunscreen, your skin will burn and you will get skin cancer! Besides the fallacious nature of this popular claim, the fact of the matter is that many sunscreen products on the market today are inherently dangerous and could cause skin cancer themselves, as well as a host of other serious health problems.

In the 2014 Guide to Sunscreens, recently released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the data shows that more than 66 percent of conventional sunscreen products contain harmful chemicals that could cause hormone disruption, trigger allergies, and even provoke the formation of skin and other types of cancer when used over the long term.

Your sunscreen could be altering your hormones, feeding a steady stream of estrogen into your bloodstream

One of the most prominent toxic sunscreen ingredients identified by EWG is oxybenzone, a compound that absorbs ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. This common additive is associated with photoallergic reactions, and is very easily absorbed through the skin. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says oxybenzone now contaminates the bodies of up to 97 percent of Americans.

"...the chemical oxybenzone penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body," explains EWG. "It can trigger allergic reactions. Data are preliminary, but studies have found a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and health harms."

Many low-quality sunscreens contain oxybenzone, as well as other damaging toxins such as retinyl palmitate, a vitamin A derivative that has been shown to speed the formation of skin tumors and lesions. Though the government classifies retinyl palmitate as an "inactive ingredient," studies show that this common additive reacts with the sun to create free radicals that damage DNA.

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