Ross Walter Nutritionist and Naturopath health articles and blog

New dangers of sunscreens containing toxic and harmful ingredients, including some causing cancer and hormone effects

21/11/2022

For over 7 years I have been warning people on the health dangers and toxicity of sunscreens. I have investigated and written on the ingredients in sunscreens and how they actually INCREASE the risks of skin cancers and melanoma (the most dangerous type) and other health issues.

Sunscreens cause more skin cancers (and other cancers) because of their toxic ingredients which are known to cause cancer, but also due to HOW they work - sunscreens block UV-B light to prevent the skin redness and burning, and prevents production of vitamin D which protects against cancer (!), but this gives you a false sense of security to stay outside in the sun longer to be exposed to more UV-A light, which is the one that causes skin damage and skin cancers...

I personally approached sunscreen manufacturers such as the "Cancer Council" about the ingredients they use in their sunscreens, and the many toxic chemicals, hormone disrupting chemicals (affecting male/female hormones or thyroid function), and known cancer-causing chemicals they use. They denied there was any problem, despite many published studies on the chemicals they use causing these health effects.

So every Spring and Summer I call them out on this, so that people are aware and don't use their dangerous sunscreens. There are much better and safer options available.

Karma might have caught up with the "Cancer Council" in May 2022, when their sunscreens had elevated levels of a cancer-causing chemical (Benzene) in them, and they were forced to make this information public and recall some of their products (TGA, 2022). But they have had these dangerous chemicals in their sunscreens for many years and they did nothing. For example, their "everyday" sunscreens had several known cancer-causing chemicals, AND several hormone-disrupting chemicals, and other toxic chemicals, and some chemicals banned in other countries, in ONE product.

Perhaps as a result of this finding, and perhaps my warnings (I'd like to think so!) the Cancer Council changed the ingredients in some of their products recently in 2022. So I checked out their products and ingredients again, and here it is...

The Cancer Council have so many more products now, mostly with the same toxic ingredients in each product, but some variations too. Their "everyday" sunscreen has one less chemical now, which wasn't one that was known to cause cancer, but did cause neurotoxicity and disruptions to hormones. The "everyday" product still contains 2 cancer-causing chemicals, 2 hormone-disrupting chemicals, and one being damaging the environment or wildlife.

I investigated some of their other sunscreens too, including their "ultra" and "kids" products. The "ultra" product has many more chemicals than the "everyday" product, and more toxic too, with 3 cancer-causing chemicals, 3 hormone-disrupting chemicals, and 3 which are toxic to the environment and wildlife.

The Cancer Council's "kids" product has the same number of chemicals as the "ultra" product, with most being the same, and containing 2 cancer-causing chemicals, 2 hormone-disrupting chemicals, but 3 which are toxic to the environment or wildlife. If you had children, would you really put this on them now?

The Cancer Council is well named isn't it... adding cancer-causing chemicals to their products which are supposed to prevent cancer, but actually causing it instead.

This article shows the importance of always checking the ingredients and chemicals not just in your foods, but what you put on your skin. What you put on your skin is typically absorbed into your body.

Luckily there are better and safer ways to prevent skin cancers, without the avoidance of healthy sun exposure that you need for vitamin D and other health benefits, and without being exposed to toxic and harmful chemicals.

Stay healthy!

References:

Cancer Council. (2022). Sunscreens. Retrieved 19th November 2022 from https://www.cancercouncilshop.org.au/collections/sunscreen

Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). (2022). Multiple Sunscreens Recall - Low levels of benzene detected. Retrieved 20th November 2022 from https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/multiple-sunscreens-recall-low-levels-benzene-detected

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soy products are not health foods

28/1/2020

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I often see clients who are consuming soy products because they believe that soy is good for their health. However, for most people who are interested in having the best of health, soy products are NOT what you should be consuming! Soy foods are not health foods! They are, in fact, highly processed foods, and should be treated like most junk foods, and restricted or even avoided in most cases!

Soy products such as the raw beans, tofu, soy milk, simulated meat products, soy ice cream, soy cheese, soybean oil, and soy baby formula and more are highly processed products that are known in research to be linked to breast cancer, thyroid disorders, intolerances, infertility, digestive complaints, and more adverse health effects.

Some might argue that Asians have been eating soy products for a long time and they have very long life spans. That may be true, but they don't eat very much soy, and when they do it's mostly fermented soy, a natural process which is needed to get rid of the anti-nutrients, oestrogen mimicking chemicals and natural toxins found in soybeans. Fermented soy products that are good to eat include tempeh, miso and natto. Also, Asian cultures have different genetics to many other cultures, and can perhaps handle soy better...

The problems with soy and soy products are many:

1) Unfermented soy products interfere with normal thyroid hormones (which controls metabolism), thus slowing down your metabolism making you put on weight as fat.

2) In most women. soy also enhances the effect of the oestrogen (ie female) hormone, causing a range of issues with the female menstrual cycle and therefore reproductive problems, infertility and an increased risk of female hormone related cancers such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and more.

3) The oestrogenic (female hormone mimicking) effects of the phyto-oestrogens in soy have a greater effect In men, to also affect fertility, increase fat production and create man-boobs, cause enlarged prostate gland, and over time, prostate cancer.

Soy may only help a very small number of people - such as those with oestrogen excess, in women and men. In this case, its phyto-oestrogens can block some of the oestrogen receptors on cell walls, to have a reducing effect of having high oestrogen levels.

Over 95% of the world's soy is genetically modified to survive being sprayed with the RoundUp/glyphosate herbicide which would otherwise kill the plant. Hence the soy products contain this toxic chemical which is a "probable" carcinogenic, according to the World Health Organisation in 2015. There have been a couple of very high profile lawsuits against the Roundup manufacturer Monsanto recently, after victims proved that the herbicide caused their terminal cancers.

In addition to the hormone-affecting issues, soy products can bind to many minerals in the meal to prevent the absorption of those minerals such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese and iron! Frequent intake of soy products can lead to deficiencies in these minerals, which results in many health issues and symptoms.

As most processed or prepared foods found in the supermarket contain soy products, it's best to look at the product ingredients and also avoid those that contain soy.

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Sunscreens are a major cause of skin cancers

1/11/2019

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Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of skin cancers in the world. But incidences are also rising in countries that are generally colder or not well known for having a lot of sunlight, such as the UK or in the Scandinavian countries.
There are several reasons for this, including the lack of the protective ozone layer in the southern hemisphere, and the increasing use of sunscreens as a result of government sun-safe campaigns.

From looking at the research into sunscreen ingredients and health, I would not recommend using commercial sunscreens as they are the main reason for causing skin cancers. When their marketing says they protect you from the sun, it isn't true. Sunscreens CAUSE skin cancer.

There are 3 ways sunscreens cause skin cancer:
1) Sunscreens block the production of vitamin D, required for absorption of calcium for healthy bones and teeth, and prevention of hundreds of illnesses and chronic diseases, from colds and flu to mental health disorders. Cancer risk is reduced by over 50% with having sufficient vitamin D levels in your body. Vitamin D is a massive immune system booster, and as your immune system destroys cancer cells when it is working well, you need to support your immune system to do this. See my other articles on sunscreens, vitamin D and cancer below.

2) Sunscreens block the UV-B radiation which protects you from the sun and prevents sunburn. But it's the UV-B light which is needed for your body to produce vitamin D! HOWEVER, sunscreens therefore allow you to stay outside in the sun longer (and not get burnt) to be exposed to more of the UV-A radiation, which is the one that causes skin cancer... Let that sink in - sunscreens give you a false sense of security to stay out in the sun longer and be exposed to MORE skin cancer causing UV-A light.

3) Many chemicals in commercial sunscreens (read the ingredients list again) include carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals and hormone-disrupting chemicals which can affect your whole body to negatively affect your health.

Even sunscreens promoted by the Cancer Council have very toxic ingredients including neurotoxins, or they affect fertility or cause DNA damage (ie cause cancer), or disrupt your normal hormones. Australia's Cancer Council's own brand sunscreen contains 5 cancer-causing chemicals, and 4 hormone-disrupting chemicals, in their ONE product! It also contains other chemicals banned in other countries and other damaging chemicals too.

Scientific research proves this:
One study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2000 (entitled: "Sunscreen use and malignant melanoma"), it showed that people who used sunscreens did NOT have a reduced risk of malignant melanoma, that they spent more time in the sun and got melanoma even if they didn't get sunburnt, and there was an increased risk of melanoma from sunscreen use.

An expert Dermatologist, Dr Bernard Ackerman, who has published 625 research papers on skin cancer says that there is no proven link between sun exposure and melanoma. And people with melanoma have it on less exposed body areas.

Sunscreens actually CAUSE more skin cancer than they prevent.

Please check your sunscreens, and do your research on the ingredients in them. For your family's health, be sun-safe by getting some sunlight on your skin in small doses regularly (but not enough to burn) and if you need to stay out in the sun for longer, cover up with clothes and a hat, or use a natural sunscreen that does not have toxic ingredients in it, from a health food shop.

If you do not think you are getting enough sunlight to maintain your vitamin D levels (at around 5-10 minutes per day in spring or summer) you can opt for a good vitamin D3 supplement - ask me for details!

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why you should avoid plastic water bottles and containers

16/1/2019

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When I see clients for helping them to improve their health for all types of health conditions, I always ask about their fluid intake - what types of drinks they consume daily, how much, and with regards to water, what type of water they drink, tap water or filtered or bottled, and what type of container they use to store or carry their water in.

While it's great that most people do take water with them to work or when they go out, most people I see are still using plastic bottles for this purpose. I explain why this isn't good for your health, and they quickly change to healthier options!

We now have "BPA-free" plastic bottles and containers because BPA (Bisphenol-A) was added into plastic decades ago to make plastics flexible and durable. But in 2010, the Australian government announced a voluntary phasing-out of BPA in baby bottles only, based on scientific studies showing that BPA was causing many health issues. Other products followed, but it was still a voluntary measure by the plastic producers. Other countries also made similar decisions to reduce BPA in products.

BPA was replaced by BPS (Bisphenol-S), apparently being safer. As time went on and more studies were done on BPS, it was found that BPS is causing exactly the same health problems as BPA and is just as harmful. Some studies show that 81% of Americans have BPS in their urine.

BPA and BPS, even in very small amounts, have large effects on your cells and your body. These chemicals leach from the plastic into the water or food they contain. BPA and BPS are endocrine disruptors or xeno-oestrogens, as they mimic oestrogen and its effects in your body. Endocrine disruptors and xeno-oestrogens disrupt your hormones to affect a cell's normal functioning to cause metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, asthma, birth defects, heart conditions, menstrual cycle issues and PMS symptoms, infertility, prostate enlargement, and many types of cancer.

The issues with BPA and BPS and other chemicals in plastics are worse when the plastic is exposed to warmer temperatures, as the chemicals leach much more in summer, or in hot cars, or worse, when used in the microwave oven to cook or heat foods. BPA and BPS also causes similar affects in animals and wildlife, as our waste water and plastics get into waterways.

BPA chemicals are also found in your shop receipts, in the thermal paper used. BPA is also found in the lining of many tins of various foods, with tinned tomatoes being the worst possible to buy and consume. Tomatoes are very acidic and this eats away at the BPA, so there will be BPA in the tinned tomatoes, and this will affect your health. Just use fresh tomatoes instead! Steam some fresh and organic tomatoes yourself to use in cooking, as well as being better for you and the environment! BPA and BPS exposure can also come from using plastic cooking utensils, plastic kettles, and paper cups lined with BPA/BPS, soft drink cans, and other sources.

Even if you have "BPA-free" plastic bottles and containers, the manufacturers are not telling you that the BPS or other chemicals added to them are just as dangerous to your health as BPA. No plastic bottles or containers are safe! Get rid of them! Replace plastic containers and utensils with glass, stainless steel or other inert containers!

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Are cancer-causing chemicals in your sunscreens?

26/11/2018

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I frequently write articles about improving your health by improving what you put into your bodies in the form of food! But what you put on your body, in particular on your skin is equally as important, as your skin absorbs liquids, chemicals, and other substances too.

Now that it's warmer and sunnier again here (in Brisbane, Australia), we need to be a bit more careful about looking after our skin health, and the careful balance between getting enough sun exposure on our skin to have good vitamin D levels (for its anti-inflammatory and other health benefits) and getting sun damage from severe sunburns.

I don't believe in avoiding the sun completely, as the sun offers so many health benefits. I don't believe that we should also be wearing sunscreens at all times either, as proposed by certain cancer organisations. It's about having a healthy balance!

Last year I did an expose of the Cancer Council's sunscreen, and their other policies which are not safe for your health. I reviewed their own sunscreen and found 4 hormone-disrupting chemicals, and 5 cancer-causing chemicals, and many other toxic ingredients in their own branded sunscreens, some of which are banned in other countries. The hormone disrupting chemicals either affect your thyroid or your male/female hormones to cause an imbalance to affect your health, such as weight gain, cycle symptoms, infertility, and other effects. See the info in the meme picture for the details.

I was shocked by this information I found, and I raised this with the Cancer Council last year in a seminar they were hosting on cancer prevention. They denied that their sunscreen was unsafe and that it was tested as safe by the TGA. I know that isn't true, as the TGA don't actually test for safety of the ingredients, but only the SPF rating! The independent scientific sources I used showed that the ingredients in their (and other sunscreens) have a lot of adverse health effects.

Just as with the foods and drinks your consume, you should always check the ingredients to find out what they are and what possible effects they have on your health. Sunscreens and cosmetics, moisturisers, shampoos, and other cleaning products etc, are no different. Always check the ingredients!

There are always better natural products for your skin, especially with sunscreens. For the health of your skin and that of your children and family, please avoid toxic chemicals in sunscreens and use safer options this summer.

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Are you drinking enough water?

23/12/2016

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Now that it is Summer again (where I am in Brisbane!), and that means it's hot and humid, and you need to drink more water! I'm not going to tell you to drink 2-3 litres per day! But at least look at the colour of your urine, and if it's not clear or very light yellow - drink some more WATER! No, not just tea, coffee, beer or wine, as these are all diuretic and will make you excrete more water than you are taking in!

The main point of this article is to point out the dangers of using plastic bottles for water - whether it be store-bought plastic bottles of water, or reusable bottles that you carry around, or the kids take to school or those which you keep in the car.

No plastic bottles or containers are safe! They ALL contain toxic chemicals which have been proven to leach into the water (or foods) they contain. It doesn't matter if the plastic is BPA-free, PET, Tupperware or anything. They all leach chemicals into the water, and 50 times more so when they are hot, which is just one reason why you should never use plastic containers in the microwave oven... The chemicals which leach from plastic containers include hormone-disrupting chemicals and cancer-causing chemicals. So you don't want them in your water or food!

If you can try this experiment - put a 1/2 filled plastic bottle of water in your car and leave it there all day in the sun. Then take off the lid and smell the water - it will smell a lot of chemicals. DON'T drink it! In fact, once a bottle has been left in a hot car or in the sun, it should be thrown away. And yes I believe this applies to refillable water bottles which children take to school for the same reason - they get hot in summer and leach chemicals which can affect their health.

There was a problem with BPA plastic a few years ago, proven to disrupt hormones and cause cancer, then this was replaced by BPA-free or BPS plastic... which sure enough after a few years, was shown to have exactly the same issue. No plastic bottles or containers are safe for hot foods or hot conditions. BUT, it has been shown that freezing water or foods in plastic containers has a similar effect.

And let's not forget the environmental damage of all those plastic bottles...

So what bottles should you use?!

For children, stick to stainless steel bottles for their durability. Yes they mostly have plastic lids, but this usually isn't in contact with the water if standing upright. For adults, use stainless steel or glass containers, perhaps with a neoprene or silicon cover to protect it.

Be "water-safe" this summer! Drink plenty of good filtered water, and store it safely too!

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New dangers of sunscreens containing toxic and harmful ingredients, including some causing cancer and hormone effects

soy products are not health foods

Sunscreens are a major cause of skin cancers

why you should avoid plastic water bottles and containers

Are cancer-causing chemicals in your sunscreens?

Are you drinking enough water?

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