Is chemical sunscreen going into your bloodstream a big deal or not?
Opinion: By Skyler Brady
Lots of videos on YouTube will tell you that it's no big deal and that chemicals showing up in our blood are not to be considered dangerous or worthy of caution, are they right? It is possible. Could they also be coming to an unsafe and inaccurate conclusion? That too is possible...Lead, for example, was very commonly used in our paint and gasoline, it is known to cause serious health issues and no longer allowed to be used. Deet was used on our crops and is now banned, and even cigarettes were recommended, doctors-Cocaine was in Coca-Cola...
The point I'm making is what we know now may be different than what we know in the future. My concern is that any sunscreen ingredient that ends up in my blood does not belong there and regardless of persuasive pleas and videos, I'd rather keep sunscreen out of my blood. I don't know how one determines what a safe amount of an ingredient going into my bloodstream is... I'm not saying that can't be established I'm saying that I don't understand how one establishes that. Because “the poison is in the dose” and small amounts of something can be fine, but different poisons affect us differently...some poisons take a lot to kill us like alcohol, whereas some poisons take a very small amount like fentanyl.
I'm not saying that chemical sunscreens are as dangerous as fentanyl but I am saying that just because it doesn't cause immediate death doesn't mean it's good for you.
Additionally it's very difficult to prove or disprove any one thing is causing harm. So I would rather error on the side of caution and use sunscreen ingredients that stay on top of my skin and wash off. I respect people who decide to use chemical sunscreens anyhow. It doesn’t sit well with me that they going into your bloodstream and I don't think they belong there. But if it doesn’t bother you then carry on.
Again I don't know if chemical sunscreens are as bad as some people say they are or as harmless as other people say they are.
I'm not convinced that either group really knows. It does disappoint me that people continue to look down on or judge people who have differing opinions and use claims like ‘well it's science’ or ‘it's fact’ (that they are good or bad)
When the fact of the matter is that science changes and grows with our understanding and I find it ignorant to decide something without considering all possibilities just because you want to believe something…
It is a scientific fact the chemical sunscreens absorb into our bloodstream at rates higher than previously thought according to this study and that the FDA announced that only 2 ingredients are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE)...
This part is fact but it is not a fact that this means they are harmful, or that they are not.
This does not mean for certain that all ingredients not listed as safe and effective are not safe and effective...But until they're on this list, I don't like the idea of putting them onto my skin or my family’s skin... I think this is a reasonable perspective regardless of who says ‘it's no big deal... You should have to prove that it's directly causing issues before you dismiss using chemical sunscreen…” I think the fact that it's going into your bloodstream should be enough to make us think twice and why not just use a mineral sunscreen that doesn't go into our bloodstream so we don't have to guess and hope that everything is okay.
Again, that’s my opinion, it’s not a fact.
Ginger daily sunscreen wearer,
-Skyler Brady
