Friday, July 3, 2009

Fun in the sun?

Did you know that 3 out of 5 sunscreens either contain dangerous chemicals or don't adequately protect your skin from the sun? Crazy, right? And the worst offenders are brands you know well...like Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Coppertone. To make matters more complicated, sunscreen companies can essentially put any claims they want on their product because the FDA doesn't monitor them.

When you consider that I'm talking about a product that you slather all over your body and the cute little bodies of your kids, this is a big deal. A huge deal really...

I've got a little box over there <------- where you can type in what sunscreen you are using to find out how safe it is. Sunscreens rated 0-2 are recommended by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit independent organization. I do have to warn that the recommended sunscreens aren't cheap. But aren't you and your family's health worth it? You can price compare on amazon.com and drugstore.com. Target.com also states that they carry one of the kids' brands, California Baby, in store.

Have fun and be safe in the sun this summer!

And happy 4th of July!

And in case the widget isn't working, the Environmental Working Group's 2009 Sunscreen Report is here.

17 comments:

  1. hunh I can only wear spf 4 or 6 before breaking out in an evil rash so I guess skin cancer is gonna get me instead. My kids on the other hand I'll chasing down the good stuff for them! Thanks Carey great post :)

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  2. WOW...that makes me REALLY mad! Im not sure what brand I sent to my son's summer camp, but Im gonna find out Monday and come back and check out the rating....
    Thanks so much for the info.
    Happy 4th to you!

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  3. Wow...I never knew. Thanks so much for caring and posting! what kind do you all use?

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  4. Thanks I never knew this....... I will be buying a different one today before with hit the pool.Thanks again.

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  5. do you have another option? this is a super helpful post, and right now, i just need to have options out there. i struggle enough looking for grocery deals let alone anything else that i need to be careful with!

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  6. The Best sunscreen I hate top say, is AVON...

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  7. Yikes...why does everything have to be so worrisome? Thanks for making us aware of this! So scary to know that companies can put labels on anything and word it so it sounds wonderful! Have a safe holiday! ;)

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  8. Wow, Carey, I honestly had no idea!! We rarely wear sunscreen here (sun is rare around these neck of the woods), but it's something we'll definitely be looking into when we move.

    Thanks so much for caring about us enough to warn us, for sharing the information, for keeping us safe!

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  9. The same goes for face creams...you know those wrinkle "removers" we slather on our face at night. The FDA doesn't monitor them either.

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  10. Hey, thanks for that! I noticed that most of the sunscreens I thought I was going to use only last for 2 hours. Now I don't really mind reapplying but they're expensive! Plus, I want one for my son who is working outside all day long and doesn't have time to reapply.

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  11. WOW! This is good info to know!

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  12. Oh gosh - thanks for sharing. Just another thing to worry about. I am wondering if the sun is actually a safer alternative.

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  13. Thanks for sharing this awesome info. I need this info more than anyone else as you know how strong the Malaysian sun is all year round.

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  14. Thanks for sharing this. I'm happy that the sunscreen I've been slathering on the kids for a week isn't as bad as I thought it would be. :)

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  15. I had no clue and I just bought some. Wow.

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  16. I saw this study in the paper and didn't think to go online and look at the website. I was frustrated because it didn't show the actual products to avoid. Thank you for your quick and easy widget. I'm really bummed that none of the sunblocks I have been spraying all over my precious child EVERY DAY this summer are good. I swear, I have been telling my friends that I thought someday we would find these spray on sunblocks cause cancer. They are just too good to be true. Now I will find the sunblocks that are safest and invest. We are in the pool every day. I have to.

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  17. Yowzers- that is freaky- thanks!!

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Yeah! I love comments! Feel free to leave me one (or two or three).
But remember what your mama said..."If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Thanks!