Chemical Filter or Physical Filter?
Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can cause long-term skin damage and cancer. The use of sunscreen products that contain one or more UV filters is encouraged by health experts to prevent harmful effects caused by sun exposure.
UV filters are basically divided into two groups: Physical and chemical filters. Physical filters act by reflecting sunlight from the skin. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the most well-known examples. Chemical filters, on the other hand, act by absorbing sunlight from the skin and converting it into harmless UV rays. Examples include para-aminobenzoic acid, avobenzone, homosalate, etc. However, recently there have been increasing concerns about the use of sunscreens and their safety for both humans and the environment. Published studies have shed light on this issue by investigating the harmful effects of UV filters such as oxybenzone on the hormonal systems of aquatic animals and humans. The results of the study conducted by the FDA in 2020 showed that avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate UV filters are absorbed into the body's bloodstream even after one use. Currently, in vitro and in vivo animal models are being used to determine the mechanical and cellular effects produced by these products.When the FDA categorized the 16 UV filters commonly used in sunscreen products as Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRASE) Category I, Category II (Non-GRASE), and Category III (requiring further evaluation), physical filters such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide were considered safe and were GRASE Category I, while aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and trolamine salicylate (TAS) were GRASE Category II and were removed from the market due to serious health effects. The remaining UV filters were GRASE Category III because the FDA did not have sufficient evidence to support their GRASE designation. With increasing awareness of the harmful effects caused by UV filters, some states in the U.S. have proposed banning certain UV filters. In 2019, places like Hawaii and Key West, Florida, as well as the Virgin Islands, passed legislation banning the import and sale of the chemical UV filters oxybenzone and octinoxate in products. As a result, while physical filters are safe in sunscreen products, chemical filters have become a question mark."With thanks to Ms. Pharmacist Özlem Nekük for the research and compilation"
RESOURCES
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- City of Key West, F. C. C., 2019. Action Minutes—Final. Committee on Government Operations, C., and Veterans Affair, 2019. Thirty-Third Legislature of the Virgin Islands.
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