/oss/taxonomy/term/459/all en /oss/article/medical-student-contributors/cloudy-chance-sunburn <p>Imagine stepping outside on a cloudy day, feeling confident that your skin is safe from the sun's rays simply because the sun is hidden behind a layer of clouds. This common belief can be misleading and potentially harmful. The truth is, even on those overcast days, up to 80% of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can still reach your skin, so sunscreen is your skin's best friend, rain or shine.</p> Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:28:16 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 10011 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-environment/there-are-safe-sunscreens-no-safe-tans <p>When it comes to health matters, scientists rarely make statements that do not begin with “may.” But here is one. Excessive exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer! There’s no “may” about it. And here is another one. Chemical protection can effectively reduce exposure. Uncertainties do, however, emerge when it comes to deciding on which specific chemicals to use. Activists claim that some sunscreens are unsafe and blame regulatory agencies for not looking after the welfare of the public, while manufacturers profess that their products have been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy.</p> Wed, 03 Jul 2024 02:33:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9993 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/protect-yourself-against-sunscreen-myths <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-shining-light-on-online-myths-about-sun-safety">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9977 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/titanium-dioxide-food-europe-says-no-way-canada-disagrees <p>It is in paint, paper, sunscreen, cosmetics, toothpaste and food. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists it in its Group 2B, “possibly carcinogenic in humans.” In Europe it is not allowed as a food additive, but in Canada you’ll find it in candies, chewing gum, pastries, cake decorations and coffee creamers. Should you worry about consuming titanium dioxide, TiO<sub>2</sub>?</p> Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9839 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history-general-science/we-used-look-older <p>It apparently started with a tweet.</p> Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9698 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-you-asked/why-are-some-sunscreens-labelled-reef-safe <p>“Reef-Safe” on the label intends to inform the consumer that the product does not contain ingredients that may harm coral reefs. That claim, though, must be viewed with a degree of skepticism.</p> Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:36:33 +0000 Cat Wang 9151 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked-general-science/what-does-spf-sunscreen-really-mean <p>With all the options out there, choosing the right product can be difficult. Stores are packed with many options, branded with anything from “Ultra-Sport” to “Hydrating”, but each and every label will report a <b>sun protection factor, or “SPF” value.</b></p> <p>In theory, that wearing a sunscreen with a SPF value of 30 allows you to stay in the sun for 30 times longer than if you skipped the sun protection. In practice, it is a bit more complicated.</p> Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:02:20 +0000 Cat Wang 9146 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/should-we-worry-about-benzene-personal-care-spray-products <p>Probably not, but such products should not contain benzene and can be formulated without this contaminant. The issue arises because a number of products, including some deodorants, sunscreens, aerosol dry shampoos and athlete’s foot treatments have recently been recalled because they were found to be contaminated with trace amounts of benzene.</p> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:42:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9038 at /oss /oss/article/health/sunscreen-shouldnt-be-diy-project <hr /> <p>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-sunscreen-shouldnt-be-a-diy-project">The Montreal Gazette.</a></p> Wed, 07 Aug 2019 19:59:45 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7847 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology/are-summer-clothes-protecting-your-skin-sunburns <p>How much protection does your white T-shirt offer you in the summer when you’re out in the sun? Would you say it’s impossible to get a sunburn underneath that garment?</p> Fri, 26 Jul 2019 14:56:53 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7838 at /oss /oss/article/technology/what-kind-sunglasses-do-i-really-need <p>The sunglasses at the dollar store feel flimsy, yet I buy a pair. It costs me $1.43. The sticker on one of the lenses states “UV 400 Protection”. I walk over to a fancy sunglasses store and ask the employee if she would trust this pair to filter out UV light. She says no. I ask why not. “Because they’re from the dollar store.”</p> <p>The cheapest pair she sells is a Ray-Ban that retails for $190. Do I need it if I want to protect my eyes?</p> <p><b>The Sun is not your friend</b></p> Fri, 24 May 2019 16:53:02 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7779 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/plausible <p>The gold standard in science is the randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. If you want to know whether Garcinia cambogia causes weight loss, or whether glucosamine helps with arthritic pain, there is only one way to find out. You have an experimental group that is given the substance and a control group that is given a placebo, with every other variable being held constant. These are difficult, expensive studies to carry out because you need a large enough group of subjects for statistical weight, you have to ensure compliance and you have to monitor what is going on.</p> Tue, 03 Apr 2018 17:10:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6987 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-controversial-science-cosmetics-environment-health-news/safe-sunscreens-no-safe-tans <p>When it comes to health matters, scientists rarely make statements that do not begin with “may.”  But here is one.  Excessive exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer!  There’s no “may” about it.  And here is another one.  Chemical protection can effectively reduce exposure.  Uncertainties do, however, emerge when it comes to deciding on which specific chemicals to use.  Activists claim that some sunscreens are unsafe and blame regulatory agencies for not looking after the welfare of the public while manufacturers profess that their products have been thoroughly tested for safety and efficac</p> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:25:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2166 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health/toxic-chemicals-environment <p>Virtually no day goes by without an alert from the media about some chemical in the environment that is suspected of harming our health. It may do this by disrupting our hormones, triggering cancer, causing heart disease, affecting brain development, or any combination of these. Among numerous other substances it might be oxybenzone in sunscreens, tetrachloroethylene residue in dry cleaned clothes, caramel colouring in cola drinks, arsenic in rice or phthalates in plastics.</p> Sat, 16 Jul 2016 01:42:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2347 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/retinyl-palmitate <p>According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit, environmental advocacy group, we should all be wary of retinyl palmitate. This compound is commonly added to a range of skin care products, including sunscreens, because of its ability to give skin a more youthful appearance. Actually, retinyl palmitate itself doesn’t have much physiological activity, but enzymes commonly present in the skin convert it first to retinol (vitamin A), then to retinaldehyde ,and finally to retinoic acid.</p> Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:46:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1644 at /oss