See why new research shows that your favorite sunscreen may be deadly toxic

Summer days can be exceptionally hot and when the temperature rises you slather on the sun screen to make certain that your skin is safe while your lying on the beach, enjoying a game of golf or a leisurely picnic with family and friends. But according to UPI new research is indicating that your favorite sunscreen may have toxic compounds when exposed to sun and water.

The take away for millions of sunscreen users around the nation if not the world is to not panic but to be more aware of the potential dangers that certain sunscreens can present. New research found that a common sunscreen chemical can actually break down into toxic compounds when exposed to sun and water. This of course is the exact opposite of what most people who rely on sunscreen want to hear.

Lomonosov Moscow State University chemist Albert Lebedev explained in a news release, “On the basis of the experiments one could make a conclusion that a generally safe compound transforms in the water and forms more dangerous products,” reported UPI. Thus, toxic chemical transformation occurs when exposed to light in a chlorinated water solution, the avobenzone broke down into a combination of aromatic acids, aldehydes, phenols and acetyl benzenes, several of which are highly toxic.

This can be most disconcerting because the oil-soluble compound avobenzone found in sunscreen is celebrated for its protective ability to absorb dangerous cancer causing ultraviolet light. This same compound is also used in other common cosmetics like moisturizers as well as in lip balms.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has studied the impact of avobenzone, due to its common use as an ingredient in blocking UVB radiation. The government institute’s studies have found that because avobenzone is an endocrine disruptor. According to Natural Society, “Laboratory studies of several sunscreen chemicals indicate that they may mimic hormones and disrupt the hormone system. Bottom line: this means that female reproductive health is often compromised.

In addition, other studies have shown that two other ingredients used as stabilizers in sunscreens can even delay development in children.

So, if the oil-soluble compound avobenzone can on the one hand filter the ultraviolet sun’s rays so that skin is not harmed but on the other hand can become converted under certain conditions into a toxic compound, this is a dilemma. Lebedev agrees with the premise and stressed, “Studying the products of transformation of any popular cosmetics is very important as very often they turn out to be much more toxic and dangerous than their predecessors,” according to UPI.

The primary goal of the study is to protect the health of millions of sunscreen users around the globe.

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