Some sunscreens may pose health hazards

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    By Lindsay Lansing

    A mother”s plea to put on sunscreen may be still ringing in many people”s ears, but some sunscreens may be doing more bad than good. `

    Research shows that sunscreens that contain transparent and submicroscopic materials, called nanoparticles, could pose health risks and cause cancer.

    A report released by the environmental group, Friends of the Earth, said the growing number of personal care products containing nanoingredients are increasing, which could be detrimental to health.

    These tiny particles enable sunscreens to go on clear. They can be hundreds of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair and are measured in billionths of a meter. Some environmental groups say they cause inflammation and activate immune responses in the human body.

    Among other concerns is whether these nanoingredient-filled creams and lotions are penetrating deep into the skin and causing health risks.

    Franja Warburton, a student at Skin Works Technical School, said penetration depth of a particle into our skin depends on the size of the molecule.

    Even though these particles are smaller than 100 millionths of a millimeter, some speculate these particles aren”t small enough and can”t penetrate into the skin.

    Dermatologist Joe Bohannon Grant said cosmetics and sunscreens filled with nanoparticles don”t pose health risks.

    “This is all a marketing and press baloney,” Grant said. “What these groups are saying is based on a false premise. These nanoparticles cannot be absorbed through the skin.”

    BYU biochemistry professor Roger Harrison”s first impression of nanoparticles was that they were not very harmful to our skin.

    “If the particles are really that small, there is a small chance that the body can absorb it,” Harrison said. “But anything foreign that gets into the body can be a problem. The body is good at doing what it does. It keeps out all the foreign stuff and it protects us.”

    Eight groups, including the International Center for Technology Assessment, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace asked the Food and Drug Administration to increase the regulation of the growing use of nanotechnology, or the manipulation of materials at the atomic or molecular level.

    Nanoparticles are found in at least 116 products on the market today. Manufactures, such as L”Oreal, Revlon, Clinique, Chanel and Est?e Lauder, that use these particles are not currently required to label that their products contain these ingredients.

    So far, little research has been done to prove that these particles are hazardous, but the FDA said this fall they are “planning additional studies to examine the effects of select nanoparticles on skin penetration.”

    Studies supported by the Environmental Protection Agency are also underway as they have awarded 14 grants totaling $5 million to various universities to conduct research and investigate the potential health and environmental effects of these nanoparticles.

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