If you are going to lie in the sun on the beach, or take a walk in the mountains, you are sure to put a sunscreen on your luggage. And I hope that later you also remember to put it on and do it again every 30 minutes.But, if we assume our responsibility in the care of our environment, we should go looking for options that do not degrade or contaminate in any way that beach or mountain that receives us.
Some time ago we talked about the studies that are carried out and for which it was concluded that between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen are discharged into the sea every year around the world. And that a similar amount of chemicals influence the coral colonies, among other species.
How should an ecological sunscreen be?
Some new products that serve to block the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, use the zinc oxide that is not in the list of the components that produce alterations in marine environment, it is also biodegradable.
We should try to use physical systems to avoid excessive exposure to the sun, such as the use of appropriate sports equipment in the form of shirts, pants, hats or special swimsuits that protect a large part of the surface of the skin during outdoor physical activity. in the hours of greatest danger.
Also, complement with the use of creams with physical filters, which act by reflecting those UV rays. In this way cutaneous penetration is prevented. These are the so-called “mineral or inorganic screens” (mechanism of pure reflection of the rays).
They contain elements that block UV rays such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Zinc and titanium oxides remain on the surface of the skin and are not absorbed. They prevent UVA and UVB rays from reaching the skin.
The older blockers are white, doughy and unattractive, but the new products are transparent, and almost as protective as the old ones. The microfine zinc oxide could provide greater protection, and less white color than the microfine titanium oxide.
Recently, “organic screens” have been developed that act by absorbing and reflecting radiation at the same time. They contain substances that work as a UV filter, such as butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (also called avobenzone or Parsol 1789), benzophenones, sulisobenzones, methyl anthranilate, octocrylene, cinnamates and terephtalidene dicamfor sulphonic acid, a UVA blocker.
