Sunscreen ingredient may pose skin cancer risk, researchers find

I was listening to the EIB network and heard a blurb on this story and went and found it. I guess we are all going to die of something.

Cell toxicity studies by Dr. Yinfa Ma, Curators' Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri S&T, and his graduate student Qingbo Yang, suggest that when exposed to sunlight, zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreens, undergoes a chemical reaction that may release unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals seek to bond with other molecules, but in the process, they can damage cells or the DNA contained within those cells. This in turn could increase the risk of skin cancer.

http://news.mst.edu/2012/05/sunscree..._may_pose.html

Years ago I heard or read a similar claim, but could not find anything more on it.

According to the article more testing is needed and that they advise people to continue to use sunscreen. I guess we will have to wait to see what the researchers eventually find. Thanks Uncle Jesse for sharing this with us.

I guess it's one of life's ironies I heard today that the decrease in smoking had resulted in an increase in obesity. I am lucky in that I tan my siblings burn but a concern of skin cancer may have saved me much suffering or worse. I went to a dermatologist for what I thought would become a skin cancer and in the process it was discovered the little dark spot that had been on my chest forever was a melanoma. The melanoma was removed with very little discomfort and no pain. That was 11 years ago with no problems afterward.

Long sleeve shirts don't cause cancer and do block the sun.