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More than half of Queensland children have high levels of a potentially hormone-disrupting chemical found in sunscreens, according to a study.
Almost all the children included in the study by German researchers published in ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society, had elevated levels of homosalate in their urine.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration last year recommended dozens of popular sunscreen manufacturers reformulate their products to add safeguards concerning two active ingredients – homosalate and oxybenzone.
Homosalate and oxybenzone can potentially act as endocrine disruptors (chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones), however the TGA says available scientific data is not yet “adequate to derive a conclusion as to their causality in humans”.
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Samples from about 18,700 people, 92 per cent of which were collected in Queensland, were collected from 2012 to 2023.
Of the children studied, 80 per cent exceeded the level designated by the German Human Biomonitoring Commission for being at risk of adverse effects, and 53 per cent exceeded the level for an increased risk requiring intervention.
“These findings indicate the need to reduce [homosalate] exposure in at least some individuals, confirming the necessity for stricter regulations for homosalate in Australia, as recently enforced in the European Union and recommended by Australian authorities, to ensure sunscreen safety,” the researchers behind the study said.
The European Union published opinions on the safety of oxybenzone and homosalate in 2020-21, which found levels in the European market were not safe.
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Homosalate, which is limited to 15 per cent in Australia, the US and Canada, is restricted to 7.3 per cent in sunscreens in the EU.
The study noted that children were particularly susceptible to absorbing the ingredient through lip care products, hand-to-mouth contact or eating food with bare hands after applying sunscreen.
Levels of another UV filter, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate – also known as octisalate or octyl salicylate – exceeded the health-based guidance value for risking adverse effects in 23 per cent of children.
Adult women also had elevated levels of this chemical, up to almost four times the amount found in men.
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Researchers said this might indicate an additional exposure source for the chemical outside sunscreen usage, possibly other personal care products used more by women.
“Considering that the [German Human Biomonitoring Commission’s guidance] is based on reproductive and/or developmental toxicity, the in tendency higher exposures in women should not go unnoticed,” they said.
The TGA is investigating a number of sunscreens after independent testing found they failed to meet their SPF claims, resulting in 20 sunscreens being recalled.
There have also been voluntary recalls, unrelated to the TGA’s ongoing investigation into the CHOICE findings, due to issues with formulation.
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Many of these sunscreens have been mineral sunscreens, as opposed to chemical sunscreens. Cosmetic chemist Dr Michelle Wong theorised this could be because of the typical use of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
These particles are heavy and dense, and have a tendency to separate from, or sink to the bottom of, sunscreen formulas, usually made of water and oil which are lighter by comparison, she said.
Mineral sunscreens have risen in popularity due to many people wanting to avoid chemical sunscreens and their common use of homosalate and oxybenzone.
Researchers from the University of New South Wales last year found one in three “mineral only” sunscreens contained UV filtering chemicals not listed as active ingredients.
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The German researchers noted the Australian population was particularly at risk of skin cancer.
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Dominique Tassell is a reporter at Brisbane Times.AdvertisementAdvertisement