The warmer weather is already upon us and with that comes the “no hat, no play” reminder along with the one to slip, slop, slap. We’re well aware of the dangers of skin cancer in this country and slathering on the sunscreen isn’t a foreign practice to most of us. Rather, it’s a way of life.
Our family has a morning routine when it comes to sun protection and I remember when I applied sunscreen on my son for the first time, a fleeting thought went through my mind as to whether the ingredients in sunscreen were safe for his precious baby skin. The thought of sun damage from the harmful UV rays of the sun outweighed any other potential risks to his health in my mind and I didn’t really give the issue much more thought until I came across the term nanotechnology and no, I’m not talking iPods or electronic gadgets.
Now I’m not an expert. I’m a mother. But this stuff scares me.
It took me hours of research and personally, there’s too much doubt in my mind about using cosmetics and sunscreen that use nanotechnology. In saying that, I don’t think we can afford to go the non-sunscreen route by any means (I’d personally burn after as little as 15 minutes in the sun) but what I absolutely agree with is the right to an informed choice. So I’d like to start with labelling. So we can make our own informed decisions on how we might wish to protect ourselves and our children from something we may believe to be potentially dangerous to our health.
If this stuff scares you and you have a seed of doubt in your mind about the potential dangers of nanoparticles in sunscreen (and/or cosmetics, clothing, or food for that matter) my advice would be to do the research.
Manufacturers aren’t legally required to label nano-ingredients in sunscreens and Friends of the Earth is one organisation that is working hard to change that. This is a way you can make your voice heard if it’s something that concerns you too.
As I read more about this topic and others that are top of mind for me at the moment, I’m understanding that social consciousness is what’s needed right now; to make our feelings known and our voices heard.
Read more:
TGA Department of Health & Aging
Article: ABC: Sunscreen concerns as nano mislabelled
Video: Nanotechnology questions spread sunscreen concerns
Department of Health and Aging Information.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Do you already use nano-free sunscreen? What sunscreens are you using?
Until next time,
Vanessa
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