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DEAR EARTHTALK: Are sunscreens
safe? Which ones do you recommend that will protect my skin from the
sun and not cause other issues?
Getting too much sun is bad because of ultraviolet radiation, 90 percent of which comes in the form of Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that are not absorbed by the ozone layer and penetrate deep into our skin. Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays make up the rest. These rays are partially absorbed by the ozone layer (which makes preserving the ozone layer crucial for our health), and because they don't penetrate our skin as deeply, can cause those lobster-red sunburns. Both types of UV rays are thought to cause skin cancer. Yet while most sunscreens block out at least some UVB radiation, many don't screen UVA rays at all, making their use risky. According to the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG), by far most of the commercially available sunscreens do not provide adequate protection against the sun's harmful UV radiation and may also contain chemicals with questionable safety records. In all, 84 percent of the 831 sunscreens EWG tested did not pass health and environmental muster. Many contained potentially harmful chemicals like Benzophenone, homosalate and octyl methoxycinnamate (also called octinoxate), which are known to mimic naturally occurring bodily hormones and can thus throw the body's systems out of whack. Some also contained Padimate-0 and parsol 1789 (also known as avobenzone), which are suspected of causing DNA damage when exposed to sunlight. Furthermore, EWG found that more than half the sunscreens on the market make questionable product claims about longevity, water resistance and UV protection.
The good news is that many companies are now introducing safer sunscreens crafted from plant- and mineral-based ingredients and without chemical additives. Some of the best, according to Skin Deep, are Alba Botanica Sun's Fragrance-Free Mineral Sunscreen, Avalon Baby's Sunscreen SPF 18, Badger's SPF 30 Sunscreen, Burt's Bees' Chemical-Free Sunscreen SPF 15, California Baby's SPF 30, Juice Beauty's Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer, and Kabana's Green Screen SPF 15. Natural foods markets stock many of these, or they can be found online at websites like Sun Protection Center and Drugstore.com. CONTACTS: Environmental Working Group; Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database; Sun Protection Center, Drugstore.com.
DEAR
EARTHTALK: The 2008 Summer Olympics in China are drawing a lot
of attention right now for political reasons. I've heard, though,
that one ray of light is China's effort to make the event as green
as possible. What's going on in that regard? IT'S TRUE THAT CHINA using the upcoming Beijing Olympics as a sustainability showcase, going so far as to dub the event the "Green Olympics." Through a partnership with the U.S. government and the Maryland-based International Center for Sustainable Development, China is giving Beijing a green makeover to make the city a model for net zero pollution, green building and sustainable community development. According to China's Technology Minister Wan Gang, the Beijing Olympics are expected to generate some 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide, in large part because of the flying the world's athletes will do to get to and from the games. To offset these potent greenhouse gases, China will take a series of measures, Wan says, including planting trees, closing 1,000 small coal mines before and during the games and banning up to a million cars from city streets.
Another example is the "Water Cube," a spectacular-looking structure that looks like a building made of bubble-wrap. Officially known as the National Aquatics Center, it is completely surrounded with ETFE pillows and is expected to cut energy use by 30 percent. And when it has finished serving its purpose as an Olympic venue, it has been built to be converted to a shopping area and leisure center with tennis courts, retail outlets, nightclubs and restaurants. All seven main Olympic stadiums are equipped with solar generators capable of outputting 480 kilowatts of energy at any given moment. Ninety percent of the lighting outside the stadiums, as well as the entire hot water supply for the Olympic Village will be powered by solar energy. Also, the main stadiums will receive power from Beijing's first wind farm. While the Olympic Games will only last for two weeks, environmentalists hope the greening of Beijing will indeed continue beyond the summer '08. Some proposals include building 14 wastewater treatment facilities to achieve 90 percent treatment rate in Beijing, and extending potable water to the entire city. Also, the municipal government of Beijing has invested in expensive energy-efficient heating and transportation equipment that will greatly improve environmental quality for decades hence. Beijing, where 1,000 new cars roll onto the streets every day, also plans to source clean energy from other parts of China and through the purchase of pollution offsets on a quickly expanding international market. CONTACTS: ICSD Beijing 2008 Green Olympics Initiative; Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
DEAR
EARTHTALK: How is it said that we are "losing winter"
because of climate change? It didn't seem so last winter, when
it even snowed in places for the very first time. THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING manifest themselves differently in different locations, and winter is no doubt getting shorter and warmer across New England, the Canadian Maritimes and Northern Europe. In New England, average winter temperatures have increased 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970. The years 2006 and 1998 were the first and second warmest years on record in the U.S. since we started counting, with the last eight five-year periods the warmest in history. According to the National Climatic Data Center, that warming has been accelerating over the last three decades, from just over a tenth of one degree Fahrenheit per decade to almost a third of a degree now.
And it seems that as one moves farther north, more and more winter is lost. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment of 2004 reported that Arctic temperatures are now rising at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the world (as much as 14 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 100 years), reducing sea ice and melting frozen soils. It's been widely reported that Alaska's polar bears are probably doomed by 2050, but the scale of this climatic shift will likely do much more - completely changing the culture of the Arctic. Global warming impacts are far from monolithic: Some parts of the planet are heating up and others are experiencing colder than average temperatures and record snowfalls, just as climate models predict. But the overall trend is clear: It's getting warmer, and winter is losing intensity and duration. "If you've ever enjoyed ice skating, sledding, skiing, snowboarding or building a snowman, writes E - The Environmental Magazine, you should know that the future of these enshrined institutions is by no means guaranteed." Winter's retreat may be sad for children intent on sledding, but it also augurs badly for the economy, especially for businesses reliant on snow. New England's ski industry has experienced sharp declines in the number of days their lifts are shuttling people up the mountain. Snowmaking machines, originally intended to just cover any slack left by Mother Nature, now operate to capacity throughout the winter. And snowmobile manufacturers report a 50 percent drop in sales over the last decade as the number of snow-covered days diminishes. Yet another business casualty is New England's maple syrup industry, which has been thwarted in recent years by early thaws which have depleted production capacity by as much as 50 percent. According to Tom McCrumm of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, there may no longer be a maple sugar industry in New England by 2100. CONTACTS: National Climatic Data Center; Union of Concerned Scientists; Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.
© the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine, 2008
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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GETTING A LITTLE SUNSHINE
is important for helping our bodies generate Vitamin D, an important
supplement for strong bones, and for regulating our levels of serotonin
and tryptamine, neurotransmitters that keep our moods and sleep/wake
cycles in order. Like anything, though, too much sun can cause health
issues, from sunburns to skin cancer. For those of us spend more time
in the sun than doctors recommend - they say to stay indoors between
11 AM and 3 PM on sunny days to be safe - sunscreens can be lifesavers.
As
a result, EWG has called on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) to establish standards for labeling so consumers have a better
idea of what they may be buying. In the meantime, consumers looking
to find out how their preferred brand stacks up can check out EWG's
online Skin Deep database, which compares thousands of health and beauty
products against environmental and human health standards.
Beijing's
Olympic Village, where the Chinese government has been busy erecting
dozens of stadiums and other structures according to rigorous green
standards, is emerging as quite an example of sustainable community
development. The steel-looped Beijing National Stadium, for instance,
includes a rainwater collection arrangement, a natural ventilation system
and a clear roof with inflatable cushions made from ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene),
a kind of plastic that increases light and heat penetration.
