The clear take-away message from the book is that our well-intentioned efforts to
develop a chemical cocktail that would provide protection from skin cancer have
soundly back-fired. Dr. Plourde first shows that sunscreens have not succeeded
in protecting us from skin cancer. Despite the aggressive campaigns and the steady
rise in the usage of sunscreens of ever-increasing SPF levels, the incidence of
skin cancer has steadily risen over the last thirty years. She goes on to talk about
how sunscreen has impacted the environment -- she points to the research literature
to show evidence of extensive damage to algae, which are the base of the food chain
in the ocean, and then subsequently to the fish and the coral in the sea as well.
She takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the details of efforts to improve
sunscreens by adding more and more chemicals, to block not just UVB but also UVA;
to block not just UV but also infrared. She suggests that new products may be rushed to
market before they have been properly tested, and we all become guinea pigs when we use them.
She also has a chapter pointing out the importance of vitamin D3 to health, and the consequences
of widespread vitamin D3 deficiency attributable to over-use of sunscreen. With over 500
references, the author's arguments are solidly backed up by the research literature, and anyone
who wants to know more on any topic can simply look up those references.
This book is a tour de force, and I hope it will help us become aware of the possible unexpected
consequences of thinking we can develop chemicals that will protect us from cancer better than
the natural methods that have evolved in the skin.
Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D.
MIT Researcher
#1 - Nexus Magazine (Australia
and Europe)
Be wary of plastering yourself with
sunscreen: not only may it be ineffective in filtering our UVA and UVB rays,
it may be carcinogenic and also cause irreparable damage to aquatic
environments. Medical researcher and clinical laboratory scientist
Elizabeth Plourde, PhD, has over 25 years' experience in medical research
including in cancer, genetics and endocrinology. In Sunscreens -
Biohazard, inspired by a trip to sun soaked Hawaii and her reaction to
bleached corals, she brings her scientific knowledge to bear on just how
disruptive the chemicals in sunscreens really are. Many sunscreens now
incorporate nanoparticle forms of the metallic zinc oxide and titanium
dioxide as surface screens, yet the particulates allow for the absorption of
even more UVA rays and also present a real danger to aquatic creatures by
disrupting the entire local ecology.
It is alarming that rates of various types of
skin cancer are on the rise, despite education campaigns and the vastly
increased uptake of sunscreen preparations. The endocrine-disrupting
chemicals that make up these sunscreens can play havoc with cell division
and cause cancer, chronic illnesses, autism and other neurological problems.
Not only that, they can prevent the uptake of vitamin D, which is essential
to our health and is best absorbed through sunscreen-free sunlight exposure
in short bursts at the right time of day.
Dr. Plourde is to be applauded for her
important book that regards sunscreens as hazardous waste.
– Dec 2011 - Jan
2012 Issue
Nexus Article's

#2 - The Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine
(FAIM) wrote a review in 2011. Follow the link to
access the review:

Video Links
Doctors Symposium - Lecture
Cancer Control Society - Los Angeles 2011
13:23
False Promises
of Sunscreens
Sunscreens - Biohazard Summary 3:11
Sunscreens
Don't Protect, They Do the Opposite 3:11
Sunscreen Use Promotes Cancer 2:23
Sunscreens Keep You In the Sun Too Long 1:10
What SPF Numbers Mean 2:23
Natural Sun Protection
Boost
Antioxidant Levels to Prevent Sun Burn 1:40
Stop
Sunscreens, Use Antioxidants 3:10
Best
Time to Be In the Sun 5:05
Protect Your Family
Sunscreen Is Not Just On Your Skin 3:54
Affects of Sunscreen Use In Children 2:26
Protect the Environment
Sunscreens Kill Marine Life 3:34