http://www.newstarget.com/z020237.html

NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published August 30 2006
Sunscreen found to generate harmful compounds that promote skin cancer
(NewsTarget) A team of researchers from the University of California has
found that sunscreen can do more harm than good once it soaks into the skin,
where it actually promotes the harmful compounds it is meant to protect
against.
The research team found that three commonly used ultraviolet (UV) filters --  
octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone 3 and octocrylene -- eventually soak
into the deeper layers of the skin after their application, leaving the top
skin layers vulnerable to sun damage. UV rays absorbed by the skin can
generate harmful compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can
cause skin cancer and premature aging. The researchers found that once the
filters in sunscreen soak into the lower layers of skin, the filters react
with UV light to create more damaging ROS.

The Cal team's research is the first to indicate that sunscreen filters --  
intended to protect the skin from the very UV damage they apparently
promote -- have reacted in such a way.

The researchers found that the filters only become damaging when they are
soaked into the skin and another layer of sunscreen is not applied.

"This research confirms what the natural health community has been saying
for years: That sunscreens are harmful to your health," said Mike Adams, a
consumer health advocate. "The best sunscreen is actually achieved with a
diet high in antioxidants," he explained. "When you eat berries, superfoods
and fresh produce on a regular basis, these natural antioxidants are
utilized by your skin to protect you from excessive ultraviolet ray
exposure. Sunburns are caused more by poor nutrition than by UV ray
exposure."