The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of updating its sunscreen regulation requirements. A small study funded by the agency has discovered that the active ingredients in sunscreen get absorbed into the bloodstream. Regulations for these ingredients haven’t changed since the 1970s, and the FDA is now asking for more information regarding 12 of the most commonly used active ingredients in sunscreen, like oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and avobenzone. These ingredients are also absorbed into the bloodstream within hours and remain in levels that exceed the generally regarded as safe levels set by the FDA. Theresa Michele, director of the FDA’s division of nonprescription drug products and coauthor on the FDA-funded study, says

Everyone had always thought that because these are intended to work on the surface of the skin that they wouldn’t be absorbed, but they are…”

As of yet, only two of the active sunscreen ingredients studied recently by the FDA have been deemed safe, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Editors Note: There are problems with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as well.

The shocking truth is the fact that both petrochemical sunscreens (avobenzone, methoxycinnamate, padimate-o and the like) and physical sunblocks (chemically-reacted synthetics titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) are not natural and have been found to generate free radicals when exposed to sunlight, which then can attack the nuclei of your skin cells and cause mutations. That’s right, they can cause skin cancer. Furthermore, sunscreen chemicals have been found to pass through the skin and mimic the effects of estrogen, which may disrupt the delicate balance of the body’s natural hormones.

Sunscreen Dangers

Actively Harming Ingredients…?

The most recent sunscreen study focused on proving how feasible a sunscreen use trial would be and gathering information on frequently seen active ingredients. Researchers used four different types of sunscreen formulations (two sprays, a lotion, and a cream) to test exposure levels of four different chemicals – avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. All four of the chemicals registered significant exposure levels, and avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene reached those levels within the first six hours of application. Those elevated exposure levels also took at least 24 hours to decrease, with octocrylene concentrations taking the longest amount of time to decrease (84 hours).

Recommended: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

There is not enough information about these chemicals, although what we do know is concerning. Some active sunscreen ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone have been identified as endocrine disruptors. These chemicals also degrade when exposed to the sun, releasing free radicals and increasing skin cancer risks. It doesn’t help that many of these ingredients find their way into breast milk, amniotic fluid, and urine in addition to the bloodstream.

But We Need the D

Sunscreen can also impede the body’s ability to absorb vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiencies are no joke. A lack of the vitamin can result in fatigue, back pain, hair loss, and depression, among other things. This deficiency is widespread, even among populations with constant access to sunlight and it has been declared a pandemic by health organizations for over a decade. A study from 2010 counted over a billion people worldwide with insufficient vitamin D levels. As of last year, 42 percent of Americans were not getting enough vitamin D.

While it’s possible to get vitamin D from diet, the best source is the sun. But sunscreen interrupts that absorption, making the product doubly problematic. It disrupts the intake of an essential nutrient while replacing it with improperly tested and potentially toxic chemicals.

There are two types of skin cancer. There’s what’s called non-melanoma skin cancer and there is no question that excessive exposure to sunlight and sunburns will damage the DNA and induce skin cells to become cancerous. That is non-melanoma squamous and basal cell cancers. They are typically easy to detect, easy to treat. They’re not lethal, for the most part.”

Dr. Michael Holick, homemade sunscreen article

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

A New Vision

Wear sunscreen has become a mantra. Professionals in the health and beauty sectors tout the benefits of the product left and right. There’s even a song about it! But none of that well-meaning advice addresses the possibility that sunscreen could be more harmful than previously thought. Ideally, new regulations will do something to bring those dangers to attention.

Sources:

• Sunscreen Chemicals Soak All the Way Into Your Bloodstream – Wired
• Effect of Sunscreen Application Under Maximal Use Conditions on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients – JAMA
• The Trouble With Ingredients in Sunscreens – EWG
• Vitamin D Health: Why You Shouldn’t Shun the Sun – HuffPost
• The FDA is questioning the safety of 14 common sunscreen ingredients – Popular Science
• Neurotoxic effect of active ingredients in sunscreen products, a contemporary review – Science Direct

On January 30th Tyson recalled 36,420 pounds of chicken nuggets due to potential rubber contamination. On March 22 Tyson Foods recalled approximately 69,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips

Now Tyson is recalling more of their chicken strips for a total of 11.8 million pounds due to pieces of metal found in the product by consumers.

This is an addition to the chicken strips the company recalled in March. Tyson said the additionally recalled chicken strips were manufactured at the same location that the initial batch was made, with before-use dates between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 7, 2020.

Tyson says that the majority of the chicken strips have already been consumed without any known incidents.

The top three meat producers (Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim’s Pride) have issued multiple recalls For beef and chicken due to metal, plastic, rubber, and wood contamination.

Recommended: How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System

The world is finally realizing the dangers of glyphosate in our food system. Costco is planning to ban glyphosate from their stores, and Bayer is facing a plethora of lawsuits for the cancer-causing herbicide.

The world is also beginning to understand the problems with our food system and we’re starting to seriously look for alternatives to factory farmed meat.

We love the idea of meat-alternatives in an effort to adopt a more ecologically friendly and human approach to feeding the population. We have to find alternatives to factory farming. And the meat-alternative that’s all the rage today is the Impossible Burger. Burger King is rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide this year. White Castle, Hard Rock Cafe, Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, and hundreds of other restaurants already have the Impossible Burger on their menu.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Unfortunately, the Impossible burger is not a healthy or environmentally conscious alternative to beef. Mom’s Across America reports that the Health Research Institute Laboratories found levels of glyphosate in the Impossible burger to be alarmingly high.

The total result (glyphosate and its break down AMPA) was 11.3 ppb. Moms Across America also tested the Beyond Meat Burger and the results were 1 ppb. These are levels eleven times higher than levels within the Beyond Meat Burger.

We are shocked to find that the Impossible Burger can have up to 11X higher levels of glyphosate residues than the Beyond Meat Burger according to these samples tested. This new product is being marketed as a solution for “healthy” eating, when in fact 11 ppb of glyphosate herbicide consumption can be highly dangerous. Only 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown to alter the gene function of over 4000 genes in the livers, kidneys and cause severe organ damage in rats.**** I am gravely concerned that consumers are being misled to believe the Impossible Burger is healthy.”

Zen Honeycutt, Executive Director of Moms Across America

Related: How to Avoid GMOs – And Everything Else You Should Know About Genetic Engineering

Soy and wheat crops that are often heavily sprayed with glyphosate. The CEO of Impossible Foods recently announced that the soy patties will be made using GMO soy. Previously the Impossible Burger was being made with a textured wheat protein, but in order to meet demand, they switched to a non-GM soy protein concentrate, and are now switching to genetically engineered soy. The CEO & Founder of Impossible Foods, Pat Brown, said that GM soy is “the safest and most environmentally responsible option that would allow us to scale our production and meet demand.”

One the switch is made to GM soy the glyphosate levels in the Impossible Burger are likely to rise. Genetically-modified soy is a “Roundup Ready” product.

Common Drea,s broke down the CEOs clams in an excellent article titled, 6 Reasons Impossible Burger’s CEO Is Wrong About GMO Soy.

As most already know, in what may go down as the worst acquisition in the history of business, Bayer bought Monsanto last year for $63 billion. While Monsanto has become Bayer’s biggest mistake, you’ve got to hand it to Monsanto for knowing when to sell. Since the buyout, Bayer has been embroiled in litigation, with plaintiffs winning lawsuits showing that glyphosate likely caused their cancer.

Mom’s Across America reported that on January 18:

Elizabeth Desiree of Washington state posted on Facebook that she just got a call from an employee at Costco and he told her that Costco would no longer be selling Roundup. She had written him a letter and he was calling her back. I was excited but reserved my excitement. There is so much fake news these days. I called the headquarters, and after two days of messages and calls, I did finally confirm with three people that Costco was not ordering Roundup or any glyphosate-based herbicides for the incoming spring shipments. They would not be selling it in any stores, all across America. This is HUGE! How fantastic! One employee mentioned that they had looked into organic alternatives first and were happy with the results. More than one employee mentioned the lawsuit (Johnson V Monsanto) for part of the reasoning. They said they just felt like it was the right thing to do.

Mom’s Across America

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Costco has not released a statement. But the company has been a progressive leader in many respects. They have been known for taking better care of their employees and their environmental initiatives. In 2014 Huffington Post article, Costco was ranked second to Google on employee satisfaction. And they are one of the largest sellers in the country of organic foods, and they support farmers that are transitioning to organic growing practices.

Considering the amount of food Costco sells, this should amount to a considerable loss in revenue for the makers of RoundUp, not to mention other stores that will likely follow suit.

Two weeks ago a California jury awards two plaintiffs $2.055 billion dollars in damages. The jury awarded $2 billion in punitive damages and $55 million in compensatory damages. This is Bayer’s third loss in court from lawsuits over glyphosate. The first judgment was reported in August of 2018, where judges awarded $289 million in damages (later reduced to $78 million). The second happened in March of this year, where a San Francisco jury found in favor of plaintiff Edwin Hardeman to the tune of $80 million in damages.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

The damages award will probably be reduced thanks to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that limit the punitive to compensatory damages ratio at 9:1.

Bayer is now looking forward to more than 13,400 pending U.S. lawsuits seeking damages from glyphosate use, and that number is likely to keep rising for some time.

In a new study, volunteers had their food consumption monitored for a month. When they ate “ultra-processed food,” they consumed 500 more calories a day compared to when they ate unprocessed foods.

Ultra-processed foods have become the staple of our modern diet in the U.S. These foods make up 57.9% of food consumed in the United States. Ultra-processed foods are made with cheap industrial ingredients. They’re high in fat (typically trans fats), refined sugars, and refined salt. They are typically made with wheat, genetically modified corn, and genetically modified soy, and the foods almost test high in glyphosates. Organic foods can also be ultra-processed. The US National Institutes of Health believes ultra-processed foods affect hunger hormones in the body, leading people to eat more than they otherwise would.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

The study was conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. It’s said to be the first randomized, controlled study to show eating ultra-processed foods causes people to eat more and gain weight.

There are debates about what should define an “ultra-processed food” but lead researcher Dr Kevin Hall said is quoted as saying [it’s like] “…pornography – it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it”. BBC listed what they consider to be ultra-processed foods:

• Mass-produced packaged breads and buns
• Sweet or savoury packaged snacks including crisps
• Chocolate bars and sweets
• Sodas and sweetened drinks
• Meatballs, poultry and fish nuggets
• Instant noodles and soups
• Frozen or shelf-life ready meals
• Foods made mostly or entirely from sugar, oils and fats

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

The study had twenty people live in a laboratory for a month. For two weeks half of the team consumed ultra-processed meals and the other half were given unprocessed meals. The diets were switched for last two weeks of the study. The participants ate as much food as they wanted. Researchers monitored what they ate.

Participants on the ultra-processed diet averaged 508 calories more per day and gained an average of 2 pounds over the two-week period. People on the unprocessed diet lost about 2 pounds on average throughout the two-week period.

In February of 2018 French researchers suggested a link between highly processed foods and cancer. A research team at the Universite Sorbonne Paris Cite took food surveys to find out what foods people were consuming. The participants were followed for an average of five years.

The results showed that for a 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption cancer diagnosis increased by 12%.

Poured-in-place (PIP) rubber surfacing is the most popular playground surface in city parks and school playgrounds. At first glance, recycled rubber from shredded tires seems like a greener, safer choice.

But more kids are suffering from concussions. The CDC studied national data from 2001 to 2013 for playground injuries. More than 200,000 kids go to the emergency room for playground-related injuries every year. The rates of traumatic brain injuries have increased since the implementation of rubber mulch in playgrounds.

The increase in brain injuries could be due to increased awareness of the potential seriousness of concussions and the need for treatment. It’s also possible that more children are playing in playgrounds, and therefore we are seeing an increase in injuries. But some experts think that the rubber surface provides a false sense of security and that kids are more likely to take greater risks leading to more injuries.

The researchers can’t explain why serious head injuries are increasing. ‘We can only make assumptions’ ” Bell said.

Dr. Jeneita Bell

There are also concerns of toxicity in the rubber mulch. Researchers tested lead levels for soil, sand, wood mulch, and rubber surfaces for 28 playgrounds. Their findings report that rubber playground surfaces averaged up to triple the lead levels of the other playground surfaces. The study team also found higher levels of lead in soil. They determined that from a toxicity standpoint sand may be the safest choice for playgrounds.

Recycled rubber may also contain other toxic substances, including but not limited to:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances)

Phthalates –  a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, known to affect hormones

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – may damage the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and may cause cancer

Playgrounds use a variety of materials to protect children against injuries. However, we should always consider the full suite of health effects associated with materials that children come into contact with.”

Study author Nick Arisco of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston

Researchers report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that more than half of gluten-free pizza and pasta dishes in restaurants that were tested contained gluten.

Most who suffer from a gluten-related autoimmune disease know that just a tiny amount of gluten can cause an autoimmune reaction. It doesn’t take much.

The long-suspected problem of gluten contamination in restaurant foods that has been reported by patients likely has some truth behind it. We don’t know how common it is. But our findings suggest that pizza and pasta and foods served during dinner time are more likely to have this problem.”

Senior study author Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, director of clinical research at the Celiac Disease Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Lebwohl learned the company that makes the portable Nima Gluten Sensor held the data submitted by restaurant patrons who used the device to test their foods for gluten contamination.

Related: Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

Lebwohl asked the company if he could use the data for a study and the company gave him the data on 5,624 food tests performed by 804 app users during an 18-month period.

Researchers analyzed the data and discovered gluten-free pasta samples were positive for the protein in 50.8 percent of tests, while gluten-free pizza turned out to contain gluten in 53.2 percent of tests. Gluten was detected in 27.2 percent of breakfasts, 29 percent of lunches and 34 percent of dinners.

Lebwohl says there are limitations to the dataset.

The people tested what they wanted to test. And the users chose which results to upload to the company. They may have uploaded the results that surprised them the most. So, our findings don’t mean that 32 percent of foods are unsafe.”

Lebwohl also pointed out that the Nima sensor is extremely sensitive. In the United States food that’s labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million. The Nima sensor will detect levels down to 5 parts per million, which Lebwohl says isn’t enough for most to consider clinically significant.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

Lebwohl says that gluten-free foods may be inadvertently contaminated.

If a gluten-free pizza is put in an oven with a gluten-containing pizza, aerosolized particles could come in contact with the gluten-free pizza. And it’s possible that cooking gluten-free pasta in a pot of water that had just been used for pasta that contained gluten might result in contamination.”

Lebwhol says that the solution may be to educate the restaurant workers who prepare food.

My Personal Experience In The Restaurant Industry

I worked in a the restaurant industry as a server during this magazine’s initial years. The restaurant was a well-known 24-hour restaurant in Atlanta with a menu that had lots of healthier items to choose from, like the “Raw Food Dinner #2” and the gluten free pasta.

My mom has celiac disease. I knew how little gluten it took to set her autoimmune system off. We regularly got customers in the restaurant who requested the gluten free pasta. I would ask them, “How important is it that gluten come no where near your food?” Most would say it’s not that big of a deal, but many would let me know that they believed that even a tiny amount would cause them severe pain for days. In those cases, I had to time it just right to be there in the kitchen as the dish was in it’s the final stage of being prepared. Every time the kitchen made pasta it was habitual to put garlic bread in the bowl, on top of the pasta. It was reflexive. When the ticket said gluten-free they usually realized it after the fact and would consequently yank the bread off, but that bread had already touched the dish, and usually the pasta as well. The first time it happened I told the manager the dish needed to be remade, he refused, and we got into an argument about it. He relented, but he and the kitchen were pissed, which meant I had to stay in the kitchen the whole time to make sure they didn’t do something nasty to the food.

I also taught the kitchen to wash their hands or change their gloves (not all of them worse gloves) when they got a gluten free order. This irritated them, but I had some pull thanks to this website.

After the first gluten-free gluten incident, I paid attention and noticed the habit of putting the bread on the dish and then quickly pulling it off. They would even scan the area with a guilty look on their face to see if I saw them do it. From that point on, when I had a customer order the gluten-free pasta who said they could not tolerate any gluten I would be right there in the kitchen ready to yell at just the right time, “No bread!”

By the way, I’ve worked in about a dozen restaurants. These attitudes towards the customers are commonplace. If you eat out, don’t piss off the kitchen!