For Immediate Release
Contact: Lynn Clark, lynn.gorham@ucdenver.edu, 303-724-3160
Colorado skin cancer researcher, dermatologist, say physician UV blockers are better than chemical blockers
Pacheco “does not disagree” with Environmental Working Group report that chemicals and additives in most sunscreens could be dangerous
Aurora, Colo. (May 25, 2010)—When Dr. Theresa Pacheco, a Colorado cancer scientist and dermatologist, sends her three small children out to play this summer, they will be covered in sunscreen containing only zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Pacheco, member the University of Colorado Cancer Center and dermatologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, “does not disagree” with yesterday’s report from the Environmental Working Group that indicates chemical ingredients found in almost half of the most popular sunscreen products could be potentially dangerous.
The EWG says the danger lies in two ingredients: forms of Vitamin A and the hormone-disrupting chemical oxybenzone, which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream.
Sunscreens generally come in two forms: physical barriers and chemical barriers. Some products contain both types.
“Zinc oxide and titanium oxide are physical blockers that sit on the skin, reflecting the light, like the white stuff we used to see on the noses of lifeguards,” says Pacheco. “Oxybenzone and other chemical sunscreens block the UV rays, but it’s their little chemical structure that does it as it penetrates your skin.”
More than 1 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the most common form of cancer diagnosed.
Many research studies, some done at UCCC, have also shown that sun damage during childhood is a significant risk factor for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, which affects upwards of 67,000 Americans each year and is on the rise.
Pacheco, who is collaborating with other UCCC scientists to bring a new skin cancer protection product into clinical trials after successful tests in animal models, says that while it’s true that a 2008 Centers for Disease Control study showed 97 percent of people tested had oxybenzone in their blood, “it’s unclear that’s a bad thing. We don’t know that chemicals are worse. We just know there are better sunscreens.”
Just ask staff in a dermatology clinic what sunscreen they use, she suggests, and likely they’ll recommend products with physical versus chemical blockers.
“Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are less irritating to the skin, and they simply provide better protection across the UV spectrum,” she said. “It’s what we recommend for people after cosmetic procedures because they need strong sun protection that’s non-irritating. Also, if you find a sunscreen that has these ingredients plus the chemical blockers there will probably be a lower level of chemicals in them.”
The EWG report points to an FDA study that demonstrates the other sunscreen additive in question, vitamin A, may actually cause skin cancer to develop when used on skin that’s exposed to sunlight. Pacheco, who also studies vitamin A as an anti-oxidant, is unclear why it would be included in sunscreen especially given those research findings.
SPF claims also come under fire in the EWG report, which calls SPF ratings misleading because “people apply about a quarter of the recommended amount. So in everyday practice, a product labeled SPF 100 really performs like an SPF 3.2.”
“SPF 30 is your magic number,” Pacheco says. “Everything higher is marketing.”
She pointed out that sunscreens are currently registered with the FDA as cosmetics, which means manufacturers can make unproven claims—such as saying a product is SPF 100—and don’t have to disclose all the active ingredients. The agency in 2007 proposed new regulations that would make sunscreen an over-the-counter drug and would require listing of active ingredients and uniformed ratings. It would also ban manufacturers from labeling sunscreens with an SPF higher than SPF 50.
The EWG report says one in six brands of sunscreen now lists SPF values higher than 50.
Pacheco says if EWG’s report does nothing more than increase awareness that sun protection is important, that’s OK.
“You can use a hat, you can use sun-protective clothing, you can use sunscreen,” she says. “Just use something.”
About the University of Colorado Cancer Center
The University of Colorado Cancer Center is the Rocky Mountain region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. NCI has given only 40 cancer centers this designation, deeming membership as “the best of the best.” Headquartered on the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, UCCC is a consortium of three state universities (Colorado State University, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado Denver) and five institutions (The Children’s Hospital, Denver Health, Denver VA Medical Center, National Jewish Health and University of Colorado Hospital). Together, our 440+ members are working to ease the cancer burden through cancer care, research, education and prevention and control. Learn more at www.uccc.info.