# Are there any safe sunscreen lotions?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972 "2013-01-31T23:29:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972/1 "2013-01-31T23:29:33Z")

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Possible woo floating around the internet – all sunscreen chemicals including physical blockers such as titanium dioxide can cause skin cancer even if they keep you from getting sunburned. And, actually cause, not prevent, skin aging.

What’s the truth? Are some sunscreen chemicals worse, better than others, long term?

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972/2 "2013-02-01T03:28:22Z")

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I know nothing about that, but . . .

The woo is saying that titanium dioxide causes cancer now? :dubious:  
It’s also an ingredient in a lot of stuff we eat! It’s used as a food coloring (bright white).

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**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972/3 "2013-02-01T03:45:26Z")

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[This website](http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/706561/TITANIUM_DIOXIDE/) appears to state that titanium dioxide has only proven to be a carcinogen when inhaled. In a skin cream it is not absorbed nor of course inhaled.

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**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-safe-sunscreen-lotions/648972/4 "2013-02-01T03:49:20Z")

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This is the very first Google search result for “titanium dioxide carcinogen”:

> [@](#):
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> Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen ‘‘possibly carcinogen to humans’’…

However, further reading reveals that this only applies to airborne dust, evidently because it irritates the lungs and isn’t carcinogenic in itself (which is also true of things like asbestos and silica; even [sawdust](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_dust#Health_and_safety_hazards) is considered to be a carcinogen when inhaled).