Earth Hour 60+

In 2007, 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses across the country turned their lights off for one hour in Sydney, Australia. all joined together to take a stand against climate change. In 2010 a record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. This app helps takes the positive actions of Earth Hour beyond that one hour to all year, by making it easy for you to make and share your planet-saving efforts, while rewarding you for everything you do to help.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earth-hour-trainer/id307933189

Tree Hugger

TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/treehugger/id357567546

iCarbonCalc

iCarbonCalc is an iPhone/iPod/iPad application from PE INTERNATIONAL,

the Experts in Sustainability. It helps you to determine your contribution to global warming. Professional result diagrams and charts based on proofed datasets help you to understand the composition of your carbon footprint and to identify potential carbon savings.

Define your personal target values and let the climate benefit!

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/icarboncalc/id350343811

Recycling Tips and News

Regularly updated Recycling News and Tips from various sources. Learn how you can be adopt green living in your lifestyle.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/recycling-tips-and-news/id417262851

Skeptical Science

Skeptical Science is now available as a free app for the iPhone or iPod. You can now use an iPhone or iPad to view the entire list of skeptic arguments as well as (more importantly) readily access what the science says on each argument.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/skeptical-science/id353938484

Yoink!

Find free stuff around you, wherever you go! Using the camera and GPS, giving something away is a snap. Yoink is available free from the app store and we think people who use it are pretty cool.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/yoink/id349889149

Ecoki

The Ecoki Reader brings you the best in sustainable lifestyle news, tips, vegan recipes, and hands on reviews.

Sit back with a cup of green tea and the Ecoki Reader and enjoy the best eco news delivered to you daily.

http://itunes.apple.com/app/ecoki/id329363855

My Water Diary

‘My Water Diary’ is brought to you by the Free Radicals as part of Water Amnesty project.

• Track your water usage over a week and aim to reduce your consumption.

Water is precious. It is a finite resource that is likely to become scarcer in the future. It is something we cannot live without and we are using more of it than ever before. We use it for drinking, cooking and washing but even more water is used to produce things we use everyday like food, paper and even the clothes we wear.

Each day and every day we use about 150 litres of water, a consumption rate which is not sustainable in the long term.

Unless we take action now, climate change, population growth and increased water demand mean that the UK could face a big problem in the future.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-water-diary/id333197878

www.thenaturalroom.com.au

Read full story at: http://www.execdigital.com/sectors/recycling/luxury-goes-green-new-york-palace-hotel

 Source: Execdigital.com

www.twitter.com/greenhotelnews

www.thenaturalroom.com.au

Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, largely from road traffic, is shortening the lives of as many as 200,000 every year, according to a government advisory committee.

The UK has repeatedly failed to meet EU air pollution targets over the decades with more than 20 towns and cities found to be emitting pollution at twice the WHO limits. Of particular concern are dusts, sulphates and nitrates from road traffic and other sources, known as particulate matter.

These small particles can be carcinogenic and are able to pass through the lungs into the bloodstream, causing inflammation and other more serious conditions. Twice as many people today suffer from lung disease and asthmatic conditions caused by air pollution than did 20 years ago.

Studying data from 2008, the independent Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) estimated that completely removing particulate pollution would have added six months to the life expectancy of every new birth in the UK that year.

While citing the premature deaths figure, the Committee said the best description of the burden was probably in terms of ‘years of total survival time lost to the current population’. For 2008, this would have been 340,000 years across the UK.

Air quality campaigners have been fighting hard for the government to publish annual statistics on the premature deaths from air pollution and accuse officials of underestimating the health impacts.

James Grugeon, from Environmental Protection UK, said the latest figures were ‘unequivocal’ about the massive impact that air pollution has on the health of the UK public. Simon Birkett, who has long-campaigned for action to clean-up London’s air pollution, said officials now had little excuse not to act given the statistical evidence of the health burden.

‘For the first time we can compare easily the health impact of long-term exposure to dangerous airborne particles with the Government’s estimates for the number of premature deaths attributable to alcoholism (15,000 to 20,000 in England), obesity (9,000 in England) and smoking (87,000 in England) and understand the complexities of these metrics,’ he said.

Both Defra and the Department for Health responded to the Committee findings saying they recognised the impact poor air quality was having on public health. However, they have been accused by campaigners of ‘inertia’ in dealing with the issue.

The UK faces a £300 million fine for failing to meet new EU targets for reducing air pollution and has desperately sought to delay its deadlines. The Department for Health insisted it was ‘committed to working towards full compliance with EU air quality standards’.

Useful links
The Mortality Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution in the UK

Source: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/701026/air_pollution_linked_to_200000_premature_deaths_in_uk.html

It was early evening in Matera, a city in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, and swallows circled the sky, their melodious calls interrupted only by the clanking of bells worn by cows drinking from a stream deep within a canyon.

On the other side of the canyon was old Matera, an area so ancient that it was used to portray Judea in Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ." Often called the Sassi (which means stone), or the City of Stone, this part of Matera is a maze of caves, churches – some dating back to Roman times – zigzagging steps and stone facades carved from a massive slope of yellowed tufa.

Just after my family and I checked into a new hotel called Sextantio Albergo Diffuso Le Grotte Della Civita, we noticed an elderly couple climbing the hotel’s worn stone stairs. The pair, dressed in their Sunday best, entered the hotel’s stone terrace through a metal gate. In the lobby, we heard the man, Francesco Di Cecce, introduce himself to the manager and explain that he and his wife had come to visit his childhood home. Curious, we followed them as they found their way to Suite 10. "I was born here in 1939," Di Cecce said as he opened the thick wooden door to a cave that went back about 60 feet.

Like the dwellings that surround it, much of the hotel incorporates grottoes, with facades cut into the rock or constructed from limestone blocks. Suite 10 had been transformed into a magical place, glowing with golden artificial light that filtered in through small windows, and from recessed lighting in the walls. The minimal space was simply decorated, with an artfully worn wooden desk, a large bed with a white crocheted cover, arched ceilings and a floor of packed earth and stone tiles.

"I grew up here with my seven brothers and sisters," Di Cecce said. "And the animals lived back there," he said, pointing to the luxurious bathroom with an egg-shaped Philippe Starck bathtub.

In 1945, when "Christ Stopped at Eboli" was published, it brought attention and shame to this forgotten region, sandwiched between Puglia and Calabria. The book was Carlo Levi’s account of the extreme poverty in this Basilicata region. A decade later, Di Cecce and about 15,000 other sassi dwellers were relocated to new low-income housing, and the ancient grotto homes were abandoned.

As I looked around the room that was once the home of a desperately poor family, I recalled something that the American humorist Finley Peter Dunne once said: "The past always looks better than it was because it isn’t here."

Indeed, these days the caves look a lot better than the government housing. In 1993, in an attempt to protect the historically significant sassi, UNESCO declared the Matera sassi a World Heritage site. Gradually, those condemned homes have been transformed into hotels and restaurants. Now that some of the caves are designed with Starck bathtubs and high-tech temperature and humidity control, some travelers spend more than $400 a night to immerse themselves in an enchanted atmosphere of antiquity, even if it means doing without a flat-screen TV or Wi-Fi.

Filmmaker opening hotel

The filmmaker and dabbling hotelier Francis Ford Coppola is contributing to the Basilicata buzz. Next spring he is planning to open the intimate Palazzo Margherita in the remote town of Bernalda, about 25 miles south of Matera, and less than 10 miles from the Mediterranean coast.

Although it is his sixth property, it is his most personal. Coppola’s grandfather Agostino Coppola was born and raised in a "tiny home in the lower part of Bernalda," Coppola wrote in an e-mail. He added that his grandfather, who spoke often of his ancestral village, never failed to call his hometown "Bella Bernalda."

Coppola went to see Bernalda for himself in 1962 and "was embraced by the town and discovered that almost everyone was a cousin." In 2004 he bought

Palazzo Margherita, a grand 19th-century villa. The new inn’s interiors have been designed by the chic Paris-based designer Jacques Grange, and it will feature nine suites, a restaurant and a streetside bar. In his e-mail, Coppola described the charm of Basilicata: "It’s hard to dig a hole in the ground anywhere, without discovering an ancient Greek vase or shard. The wine is great. The olive oil is great. The food is unique. There are things eaten that are unknown anywhere else in Italy."

Eating well

It takes a passionate food explorer to get to Luna Rossa, a restaurant so off the map that one should almost bring along some spare fuel. Along the winding drive through the Pollino National Park to the blink-and-you’ll-drive-by-it village of Terranova di Pollino, it becomes clear why some of Basilicata’s recipes have never left the province.

"Some of the towns in Basilicata are so secluded that you can sometimes find dishes that haven’t changed much since pagan times," said Federico Valicenti, Luna Rossa’s chef and owner, a self-proclaimed culinary anthropologist.

That particular day in May he served his guests a meal that included thinly sliced salami made from acorn-eating pigs raised in Pollino; tapparelle, a local ear-shaped pasta, served with hard ricotta cheese and lemon rind; a roasted goat dish that was inspired by a medieval recipe; and pork served with eggs and local caciocavallo cheese. On the Luna Rossa wine list were dozens of Aglianico del Vulture wines, an ancient red grape variety originally from Greece, grown on the slopes of an extinct volcano in northwest Basilicata.

Although Valicenti searches for inspiration in medieval and Renaissance texts, he said his recipes are his own interpretations of historic dishes. "I make them lighter and use modern cooking techniques," he said.

At the newly opened Hotel Torre Fiore, a 10-minute drive from the small hilltop city of Pisticci, the addictive ricotta cheese served at the breakfast buffet is made by a local cheese artisan whose family has been making ricotta for six generations. The hotel’s chef, in turn, uses it to make a simple but memorable ricotta mousse.

The hotel, surrounded by wildflowers and fields of grain, was once a masseria (a farmhouse with fortified walls typical of southern Italy) built by a wealthy landowner. Now it is a dream realized by the current owner, John Giannone, who was born in Pisticci, but emigrated to Toronto. It was originally planned as a vacation home for his family, but his middle-aged children became so enthusiastic about the area’s potential that they decided to turn it into a boutique hotel with a pool and 13 suites.

The Torre Fiore’s restaurant is popular with well-traveled locals like Roberto Martino and his companion, Angelo Bianco, who drove 45 minutes from Matera to eat there. Originally from Basilicata, the two moved to Florence where they hosted contemporary art happenings. About four years ago they decided to return to Basilicata to run SoutHeritage, a contemporary art foundation that organizes pop-up modern art exhibitions in historic spaces throughout Basilicata.

Martino recalled that the first few shows seemed to attract locals who were looking more for free food and wine than art. "Modern ideas take time to be accepted here," he said. "We’re at least 60 years behind northern Italy." Then, he added with a laugh, "Although sometimes it seems like centuries."

By Gisela Williams

Source: The Seattle Times

The rules, which are scheduled to be announced Wednesday at a news conference in San Francisco, give California among the strictest laws in the nation limiting pollution from large ships.

Image via odec.ca

"This is going to cover the entire California coastline," said state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. "Oceangoing vessels should not consider our coastline a place for dumping sewage."

In 2005, Simitian wrote a bill that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed banning sewage discharges in state waters from cruise ships and commercial ships larger than 300 gross tons.

That bill — the first of its kind in the nation — made it illegal for such ships to discharge oily bilge water, "gray water" from sinks and showers and other hazardous waste. But a key provision that also banned sewage releases could not legally take effect until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave permission under the federal Clean Water Act.

Although California asked the EPA for permission in 2006, the Bush administration did not act on the request.

Officials at EPA regional headquarters in San Francisco declined to comment Monday, saying they would wait until the formal announcement later this week.

But people familiar with the new rule said it will add legal clarity to the state law, so that if a ship did discharge sewage close to shore, its owner could not claim it was immune from penalties because the EPA had yet to act.

"This is a giant step in the protection of our coastal waters," said Teri Shore, program director at Turtle Island Restoration Network in San Francisco.

Industry officials said they already are complying with the state law.

"EPA has discussed it in general with us, and we said that if it follows the provisions in the Simitian statutes I don’t think it should be a problem for us," said John Berge, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association in San Francisco.

The association opposed Simitian’s bill but withdrew opposition when a provision was inserted allowing older ships without the capacity to hold treated sewage to discharge it in state waters.

Cruise lines said they also are following the state law.

"We don’t discharge anything within California’s three-mile limit," said Karen Candy, a spokeswoman for Princess Cruise Lines.

Environmentalists said the clarity from EPA is important, however.

"The cruise lines have pretty much said all along they won’t dump in state waters, but there’s no enforcement," Shore said. "It’s all voluntary. This gives it the force of law."

With fears of international travel high after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, cruise ship visits to U.S. ports — particularly California stops such as Monterey, San Francisco and San Diego — grew steadily. By 2006, there were 81 cruise ship visits to San Francisco Bay, carrying 223,000 passengers.

Although the struggling economy has reduced that trend somewhat — to 62 visits and 179,000 passengers last year — the level remains more than double the pre-Sept. 11 numbers.

"Cruise ships have 3,000 or 4,000 people on them. They are little cities," said Arthur Feinstein, vice chairman of the San Francisco Bay chapter of the Sierra Club. "You can imagine the amount of sewage they put in the water. And they are only getting bigger. So I think this makes a huge difference."

In 2003, the city of Monterey banned all Crystal Cruise ships after the Crystal Harmony dumped 36,000 gallons of gray water and sewage in Monterey Bay. Simitian said that was the impetus behind his bill.

"I remember picking up the paper and thinking, ‘you gotta be kidding me,’ " he said. "Their answer was ‘we didn’t break any rules.’ I remember thinking, if this isn’t against the law it ought to be."

Source: mercurynews.com

For more information head to : http://www.eturbonews.com/18083/california-pass-strictest-cruise-ship-pollution-law-us

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But Australia is grappling with a dilemma: how to balance conservation with the need for tourist spending.

"Although it looks gorgeous and beautiful it is a park under pressure — there are a lot of vulnerable species in this national park," said Tara Cameron, a local teacher and President of Blue Mountains Conservation Society.

"It’s not a completely resilient piece of nature we can do anything with."

Maintaining wilderness is an expensive business, and visitor numbers have fallen in recent years.

The number of trips including an overnight stay has almost halved in the last decade, from 1.045 million in 1999, according to Tourism Research Australia figures quoted in the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

They show an 18 percent drop in one year, from 687,000 in 2008 to 563,000 last year.

The New South Wales government now wants to increase both tourist numbers and spending by attracting visitors interested in a more comfortable, less rugged experience.

Its tourism strategy has attracted criticism for refusing to rule out development within the park.

Mark Jarvis, who runs a hotel in Katoomba, the main tourist town in the Blue Mountains, just an hour and a half from Sydney, said: "We’re very concerned because the uniqueness of area revolves around the fact that we sit in between World Heritage parks.

"So the fact that they are looking at developing, the fact that if there is a potential to do it, it’s not right for this area.

"It’s not in Sydney’s interests to see this area develop — the attraction for Sydney people to come here is our lack of development."

Cameron agreed: "What I see happening in New South Wales is a distraction and diversion away from nature conservation as the primary purpose of parks — and if we don’t focus on that the standards and the state of our parks will slowly decline."

However, Randal Walker, chairman of Blue Mountains Tourism, argued that it is possible to develop sustainable tourism without damaging the natural beauty that visitors come to see.

"If there was increased interest in development, I think those investors would only do it in terms of: is it sustainable?" said Walker. "Is there going to be a return on investment? And it’s going to be in built-up areas where zoning allows it. I don’t think there would be any development that would be a negative impact on the environment."

"We have to have a sustainable impact on the natural asset, which all tourism operators value and treasure and want to preserve."

Penelope Figgis, a government advisor on conservation and tourism, also believes the park has to develop.

She said: "Everybody is looking for how we can make national parks relevant into the future. We have very urbanized population who are not as connected with nature.

"The New South Wales government wanted to see how we could connect with nature but also at the same time stimulate regional economies through tourism activities related to nature conservation.

"I can’t think of a better way to persuade somebody to be an advocate for a beautiful and wild area than going there and immersing themselves in that experience," she added.

The danger in this quest for something new, is turning nature into a commodity, argued Cameron.

"I think national parks and nature is worth more than just being the new thing, the sort of new product," she said.

"We have 92 percent of the state of New South Wales that is taken up by people.

"Only eight percent is national park. They’re the bits that we’ve put aside for nature — do we really need to encroach on those as well.

"The coffee shop is not an endangered species. Humans are doing very well — we are looking after ourselves very well. At some point we need to say: ‘When is it nature’s turn?’"

For the rest of story head to:

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/22/australia.blue.mountains/?hpt=C2

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Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts is aiming to set a new benchmark for sustainability by committing to a certification partnership with the internationally acclaimed Green Globe. The aim is inspiring: to certify 20 per cent of operating Moevenpick hotels, resorts and cruises by the end of 2011 as well as all properties of the company over the following 24 months. In cooperation with Green Globe, clear and measurable objectives for environmental sustainability are set.

Environmental awareness is nothing new to Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts. With Swiss heritage and values at its heart, the company celebrates practices that demonstrate environmental responsibility. So far, several properties of the hotel group have been awarded for their commitment to sustainability with local and global prizes.

"Now more than ever, we believe it is time to not only increase awareness with regards to sustainability in Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts and share best practice, but also to more effectively measure our progress towards a sustainable future", declares Jean Gabriel Peres, President & CEO of Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts.

 For further information, please visit

http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/pub/service/media_lounge/news.cfm

About Green Globe

The origins of the Green Globe organisation can be traced back to the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, where 182 heads of state from around the world endorsed the Agenda 21 principles of sustainable development. Two years later, the Green Globe membership was established. The Green Globe brand represents the best in sustainable practice within the travel and tourism sector and provides certification, training and marketing services in 83 countries. For information visit http://www.greenglobe.com

About Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts, an upscale hotel management company with over 12,000 employees, is represented through over 90 hotels existing or under construction in 27 countries with a concentration on its core markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The hotel group is owned by Moevenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%).

More than half of the chemicals detected are not subject to health or safety regulations and can legally be present in any amount. The federal government does have health guidelines for others, but 49 of these contaminants have been found in one place or another at levels above those guidelines, polluting the tap water for 53.6 million Americans. The government has not set a single new drinking water standard since 2001.

Water utilities spend 19 times more on water treatment chemicals every year than the federal government invests in protecting lakes and rivers from pollution in the first place.

Based on these data, EWG believes the federal government has a responsibility to do a national assessment of drinking water quality. It should establish new safety standards, set priorities for pollution prevention projects, and tell consumers about the full range of pollutants in their water.

Because it has not, EWG launched a 3-year project to create the largest drinking water quality database in existence. This user-friendly, interactive resource covers 48,000 communities in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Cities with the Best Water

EWG rated big city (population over 250,000) water utilities based on three factors: the total number of chemicals detected since 2004; the percentage of chemicals found of those tested; and the highest average level for an individual pollutant, relative to legal limits or national average amounts, including for the most common pollutants (disinfection byproducts, nitrate and arsenic). [read more on rating methodology]

EWG’s Top-Rated and Lowest-Rated Water Utilities

For other cities in the usa click on the below link

Source http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home

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Sky-high SPF protects against sunburn but leaves skin exposed to damaging UVA rays.

One of at least 79 sunscreens on the market this year with high SPFs (greater than “SPF 50+”), this product protects babies from UVB radiation and the sunburns it causes but leaves them exposed to UVA radiation that penetrates deep into the skin. UVA is known to accelerate skin aging and cause skin cancer (IARC 2009).

A standard industry sunscreen model estimates that the actual UVA protection factor for this sunscreen is only 9.3 – a far cry from 100 (BASF 2010). The best possible UVA protection in U.S. sunscreen lotions is currently about 20 (BASF 2010). Sunscreen makers are waiting for the FDA to decide whether to approve a wider selection of chemicals that could help boost UVA protection. In the meantime, high-SPF products may tempt people to stay in the sun too long, suppressing sunburns but upping the risks of other kinds of skin damage. EWG recommends that consumers avoid products labeled with anything higher than “SPF 50+” and reapply sunscreen often, regardless of SPF.

iS Clinical SPF 20 Powder & Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30

Loose powder sunscreens can enter the airways and may move from the lungs to the bloodstream. Health concerns include cancer and tissue damage.

These sunscreens are in a loose powder form. The particles of zinc and titanium they contain can offer strong UV protection for the skin, but they end up in the lungs, too, inhaled from a cloud of airborne particles with each use. There, they can cause damage. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies inhaled titanium dioxide as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on studies of rats and of people who work in dusty environments (IARC 2006).

Once in the lungs, the minerals may move into the bloodstream and throughout the body. In 2008 a research group based in China reported that nanoscale titanium dioxide like that used in many sunscreens can accumulate in the brain and cause lesions and other tissue damage (Wang 2008). Nano and micronized zinc oxide cause lung inflammation (Sayes 2007).

The bottom line? Sunscreen belongs on your skin, not in your lungs. EWG recommends that people stick to creams and avoid powders, pumps and sprays.

Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Lotion SPF 50

“Advanced UVA protection”? Not so much. Many U.S. sunscreens claim to provide “broad spectrum” protection that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, but the reality is that they don’t. Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Lotion SPF 50 lists “Advanced UVA protection” on its website and “UVB/SPF with UVA” on its label. But it would earn only 1 star in FDA’s proposed 4 star UVA labeling scheme, according to EWG analysis using a standard industry sunscreen model.

Hawaiian Tropic is not required to back up its claim of “advanced UVA protection,” and the fact is that no currently available sunscreen chemical has been shown to block UVA rays effectively. Regulations in Japan and Australia prohibit making such claims altogether for products that provide such weak UVA protection (Diffey 2009), but there is no such restriction in the U.S.

Based on a review of partial label information published by online retailers, EWG researchers identified 218 beach sunscreens that claim “broad spectrum” or “full spectrum” protection for 2010. Many would garner only “low” or “medium” UVA protection in FDA’s proposed labeling system.

Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection SPF 55

“Mild as water.” Sure it is.

Can a product be “mild as water to the skin” if the label warns to “Stop use and ask a doctor if rash or irritation develops and lasts”? And certainly when swallowed this product is nothing like water: “Keep out of reach of children” and “get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away,” reads the warning label.

Anthony Logistics for Men Sunstick SPF 15

Safe for eyes? Not really.

This product’s directions tell users to “Apply to eye area,” but the warnings advise: “Keep out of eyes.”

Since there are no regulations to ensure it, you would hope that common sense would lead sunscreen makers to formulate products for use around the eyes that are actually safe for the eyes.

No such luck!

Tip for consumers: Wear sunglasses and keep sunscreen (including from sprays) out of your eyes.

Panama Jack Naturals Baby Sunblock SPF 50

Potential hormone disruptor in baby sunblock.

Panama Jack advises users of this baby product to “apply liberally.”

Scientists who have researched a key sunscreen chemical in this sunblock, the potential hormone disruptor oxybenzone, advise the opposite: “It would be prudent not to apply oxybenzone to large surface areas of skin for extended and repeated periods of time, unless no alternative protection is available. There may be an additional concern for young children who have less well developed processes of elimination, and have a larger surface area per body weight than adults, with respect to systemic availability of a topically applied dose” (Hayden 1997).

Oxybenzone is readily absorbed through the skin; government studies have detected the compound in 97 percent of the population (Calafat 2008). In rodents, it mimics estrogen and increases the weight of the uterus (Schlumpf 2004). In people, higher maternal exposures to oxybenzone have been linked to decreased birth weight in girls (Wolff 2008).

This Panama Jack sunscreen is one of at least 26 sunscreens offered in the 2010 season with the word “baby” in their name and the chemical oxybenzone on their ingredient list. EWG advises consumers to avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone. Plenty of safer products are available.

One more thing: This so-called “natural” sunscreen contains at least ten compounds that do not occur in nature. Most are made from petroleum.

Banana Boat Ultra Defense Sunscreen Stick SPF 50

Maybe it doesn’t break down, but it also doesn’t last forever.

“It doesn’t break down,” says the manufacturer of the Banana Boat sunscreen stick.

You might think one coat would do you for a whole day. Not so. Even though sunscreen makers like Banana Boat often use stabilizing additives to keep their ingredients from breaking down in sunlight, the product still doesn’t last forever on the skin. Sunscreens wash off in water and rub off on clothes and towels.

Tip for sunscreen users: Some sunscreen chemicals break down in the sun. They also wash off in water and rub off on towels and clothes – reapply them as directed.

Baby Blanket Tender Scalps Scalp Sunscreen Spray for Babies SPF 45+

Instant protection from sunburn, instant exposure to UVA rays.

“Instantly provides 45 times your babies’ natural protection,” claims the manufacturer. While that may be true for UVB rays and the red burns and blisters they cause, it’s not the case for UVA. This product would earn only one of four stars for UVA protection in FDA’s proposed rating system, according to EWG’s analysis. Your baby’s scalp may not get burned, but UVA rays could instantly penetrate deeply and cause skin damage and trigger cancer later in life. At least 18 other products EWG assessed claim “instant” or “immediate” protection.

The Skin Cancer Foundation

$eal of approval.

The Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) lends its logo to hundreds of sun protection products. SCF approval is easy: just document that your product has an SPF of at least 15 and provide results of basic tests (for SPF, skin reactions and water and sweat resistance, if such claims are made). SCF also requires that companies pay a $10,000 donation by to join the Foundation’s “Corporate Council” in order to have their products approved.

SCF-approved products are not required to protect from UVA rays or to refrain from making the kinds of claims on safety and efficacy that FDA has proposed to prohibit in its 2007 draft sunscreen regulations. EWG’s review of products using the SCF seal found 45 sunscreens with SPF values exceeding the “SPF 50+” label that FDA proposed as the maximum in its 2007 sunscreen rule to avoid “misleading” consumers about how well these sunscreens protect from skin damage.

The Skin Cancer Foundation could ask its certified companies to comply with FDA’s 2007 draft regulations voluntarily – even FDA makes this request – but it apparently doesn’t, missing an opportunity to advance sunscreen protection. EWG learned from a foundation spokesperson that SCF plans to introduce a UVA requirement “in coming months” for companies seeking to earn the seal. It could not come soon enough.

The Food and Drug Administration

32 years (and counting) after its first draft sunscreen standards, still no final rule.

The FDA first issued draft sunscreen regulations in 1978 and last updated the draft in 2007. The regulations are still not final, despite multiple announcements of impending completion. Until the agency formally issues its rule, companies are not required to verify that their sunscreens work, including testing for SPF levels, checking waterproof claims or providing UVA protection. Nearly 1 in 8 sunscreens does not block UVA rays. Buyer beware!

The proposed regulations would require sunscreens to be labeled with a UVA star rating along with its SPF value. In the meantime, consumers should skip reading the claims and turn straight to the ingredient list looking for a mention of zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, Mexoryl or avobenzone. Buying products with those ingredients offers some assurance that the user will get at least some protection from UVA rays.

Source: http://bit.ly/aVOVqn

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