The Dark Side of Sunscreens - Washington Post, USA
Sunscreens, as most people know, are important for guarding against burns, skin cancer and premature aging. The catch is that certain ingredients found in many sunscreens might not be so green, or so safe.
If you're concerned about chemicals, sunscreen containing the naturally occurring minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which work as physical rather than chemical barriers, are less likely to be absorbed into the skin than many of their counterparts. They also work particularly well against deeper-penetrating, cancer-causing UVA rays. The catch? Those minerals, in large enough quantities, might not be great for fish either, and some formulas achieve a sheer, non-chalky effect by breaking the minerals into nano-size particles, which have their own set of safety concerns.