Sunscreen Warning Doesn't Hold Water

An email alert circulating since mid-June warns parents that waterproof sunscreen can cause blindness in children. The message purports to have been written by a parent who suffered this very calamity, but its author did not see fit to sign the warning, nor to provide verifiable evidence that any of its claims are true. Even before checking the facts, there's good reason to suspect that what you're about to read is an urban legend in the making:

And now for the facts:

In the U.S., the Food & Drug Administration has jurisdiction over the formulation and labeling of sunscreens, which are considered cosmetic products. My search of the FDA's online database turned up plenty of information about sunscreens, but nothing to indicate they can cause blindness in children. Nor could I find mention of any such incidents in press reports of the last two years.

A search of medical journals online produced no references connecting waterproof sunscreen with blindness in any age group. In fact, the Journal of the American Medical Association unhesitatingly recommends applying sunscreen to infants beginning at 6 months of age, with no concurrent warnings against the use of waterproof varieties.

I also called the Poison Control Center in my area and asked if they'd ever heard of any cases of children being blinded by waterproof sunscreens. The answer was: "No... except for that story on the Internet."

If, as the email states, "...MANY kids each year lose their sight to waterproof sun screen," federal law would require an appropriate warning label to be placed on the products, if not the withdrawal of FDA approval until said products were safely reformulated. That makes the following passage all the more implausible:

I wrote the sun screen company and they admitted to the problem but they said something to the fact that the seriousness of getting skin cancer is much worse then the chance of going blind. I think it's wrong if just one child goes blind! They should change ingredients or should at least have a huge warning on it. But they claim that if you put a huge warning on it then parents won't use it due to fear.

Note that the manufacturer goes conveniently unnamed, preventing us from authenticating these statements. It's implausible that a company would respond to such a serious customer complaint in this manner, especially in writing. Why would they admit to willfully withholding information about known hazards pertaining to the use of their product?

The email sounds an alarm and strikes fear into the hearts of parents without supplying a whit of substantiating evidence. If the message is sincere, why are so many useful details withheld? Why didn't the author see fit to sign it? It bears all the earmarks of a hoax whose only purpose is to frighten people. (Any verifiable evidence to the contrary is welcome, and will be published here.)

Rather than succumbing to fear of waterproof sunscreens, parents are advised to take reasonable precautions. Sunscreen products do tend to contain chemicals which can irritate the eye, as their labels typically state. Always read the manufacturers' directions and use the products as recommended. Should eye irritation result from the use of a waterproof sunscreen, the advised treatment is (ironic as it seems): flush with plenty of water.

Updates:

• On July 23, the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System issued a press release which stated, in part:

  No known link between sunscreen eye exposure and blindness:

  In the past three weeks, the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES) which operates the New Jersey Poison Center Hotline and is located at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, received calls from concerned citizens regarding the fear that getting sunscreen in the eye will cause blindness. Many of these calls have been from parents who are worried about using sunscreen on young children. According to Steven Marcus, MD, Executive Director of NJPIES, "There is nothing in the medical literature to support this association. We have searched for information to suggest a possible link, but have not found anything in our efforts." It appears that this misinformation has been transmitted via electronic mail on the Internet.

  New Jersey Poison Information and Education System
  201 Lyons Avenue
  Newark, New Jersey 07112
  1-800-764-7661

• July 24 statement of Prevent Blindness America:

  NEWS ALERT: PREVENT BLINDNESS AMERICA HAS RECEIVED MANY CALLS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF WATERPROOF SUNSCREEN PREPARATIONS TO THE EYES. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN URBAN MYTH, ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY.

• August 31 feature in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
  Email Myth: Sunscreen Won't Cause Blindness:

  The American Association of Poison Control Centers in Washington has received numerous calls and e-mails about the warning. Last month it alerted local poison control centers to the hoax.

  Susan Gorman, assistant director of Georgia Poison Control, said she wasn't shocked to learn about the e-mail, but she was disappointed that people would believe it.

Helpful info:

What's the Best Sunscreen for Kids?
From About Pediatrics Guide Vincent Iannelli, M.D.

Sunscreen and Sun Safety
From About Pediatrics GUide Vincent Iannelli, M.D.