Are Aussie sunscreens bad?
January 19, 2012
A PROTEST involving 20 David
Hasselhoff look-alikes raised serious
concerns yesterday about the
safety of sunscreens which use
nanoparticles.
Led by Friends of the Earth, the
Hoffs presented the new Health
Minister Tanya Plibersek with 1,000
signed postcards calling for nanosunscreen
regulation and labelling.
Concerns about the use of
nanoparticles in sunscreens,
according to Friends of the Earth,
revolve around their potential to
produce free radicals that can
damage DNA and skin cells, as well
as the fact that if they are absorbed
into living cells they could make sun
damage worse.
“We do not yet know whether or
not nanoparticles in sunscreens
penetrate intact, healthy skin,
although it seems possible they
will be taken up through damaged
skin,” Friends of the Earth said.
“Many chemicals used in
sunscreens act as ‘penetration
enhancers’, which could also make
skin penetration by nanoparticles
more likely,” Friends of the Earth
added.
Moreover the protesters raised
concerns about the fact that
nanoparticles are not subject to
safety testing before being allowed
in sunscreen, and that there are no
mandatory labelling regulations for
sunscreens containing nanoparticles.
“This is especially a problem for
people with skin conditions such
as eczema, who may be more
vulnerable to skin penetration,”
Friends of the Earth said.
MEANWHILE the Australian Self-
Medication Industry has responded
to the protest saying that concerns
being expressed by Friends of the
Earth about nanoparticles in some
sunscreens were not supported by
the weight of scientific evidence.
“Research to date has not
demonstrated evidence of a link
between nano-sized ingredients
found in some sunscreens and
serious health problems,” ASMI
said.
According to Schoombie, some of
concerns by Friends of the Earth
appeared to misrepresent findings
of research undertaken by
Professor Brian Gulson, from
Macquarie University’s Graduate
School of the Environment, by
implying that the zinc found in
blood and urine was proof that the
zinc oxide, when formulated as
nanoparticles, penetrated the skin
and could cause harm.
“Although Professor Gulson found
that a small quantity of the
traceable zinc was absorbed
through the skin and detected in
the blood, this was true for subjects
treated with nano zinc oxide and
with micronized zinc oxide,”
Schoombie said.
“He concluded that the quantity
was not significant and would not
cause harm,” Schoombie added.
ASMI also cited a TGA review of
nanoparticles in sunscreen in 2009
which found that evidence to date
showed that nano-sized particles
stay on the outer surface of the
skin, and that there was no
evidence of toxicity to users of
sunscreen despite the known use
of zinc oxide in nanoparticle form in
sunscreens since 1999.
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