A new study from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a follow-up to a 2019 investigation into chemicals in sunscreen. However, both came to the same conclusion. The active ingredients incommon sunscreenscan be absorbed into the blood in concentrations that exceed a certain threshold, where they are considered safe.
Are chemicals in sunscreens harmful to health?
However, both the agency and skin cancer experts quickly concluded that there was no evidence that the ingredients in sunscreen caused any harm. For this reason, people should continue to use the products to prevent sunburn and reduce the risk of skin cancer.
“The fact that chemicals are absorbed through the skin and into the body does not mean that they are harmful,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Rather, this finding requires further testing in industry to determine the safety and effectiveness of systemic exposure to sunscreen, particularly with chronic use. “
Last year, researchers reported a study of four active ingredients in widely used sun lotions and sprays. This showed that all four were absorbed into the subjects' bloodstream at concentrations well above 0.5 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). This is the threshold set by the FDA for waiving additional safety testing. In the new study, the scientists tested three additional active ingredients and three additional substances. Again, the subjects' bodies absorbed certain amounts of chemical substances through their bloodstreams. These have exceeded the safety limit.
Alternative to chemicals for sun protection
The active ingredients in most sunscreens include chemicals such as avobenzone, oxybenzone and octocrylene. They absorb the sun's UV radiation and convert it into a smaller amount of heat. However, there is no evidence that such chemicals are harmful to human health. However, according to the FDA, animal research has raised questions about whether certain substances, particularly oxybenzone, could disrupt hormone activity.
“Sunscreen chemicals, like all over-the-counter medications, are subject to safety review only if they are shown to be systemically absorbed above the FDA safety limit,” said Dr. Kanade Shinkai, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco.
For people who want to avoid chemical sunscreens, Shinkai pointed out another alternative. These would be, for example, mineral sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These remain on the surface of the skin and act like a protective shield.
