Food
cooking

5 Tips for a Non-Toxic BBQ

Because it's grilling season

 Emma Zang-Schwartz, MPH
11 April 2018

Getting ready for that summer BBQ? They are super fun, delicious, and a great way to cook and socialize at the same time. We have some suggestions that will still let you party it up with a BBQ, while keeping everyone safe from unnecessarily hanging out with some chemicals, too.

1) Trim Fat and Clean the Grill

First off, think about the actual grill. Because it's an open flame, grills can create some smoke. And, while that can, at times, be the point, directly breathing in smoke usually isn't the best idea, especially for children and people with asthma. There are some things you can do to make your grilling a little less smokey, though. If possible, using a gas grill helps a bit, but if you have a charcoal grill (or prefer that), cut off excess fat to lower the amount of dripping and risk for flare-ups (1). Also, cleaning your grill to remove the charred, stuck-on bits before you cook is good for reducing smoke. And in general, a clean grill is better for you. It's suggested that you brush or scrape your grill every time you use it, and then do a deep cleaning a few times a year, depending on how often you use it.

2) Marinate, Marinate, Marinate

Now let's get to the actual food and BBQing. Overcooking (or burning) the food raises the amount of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and HCAs (heterocyclic amines) on the food (2). These chemicals are what people talk about when they say that grilling food can make it more likely to cause cancer. But, hang on, we have good news. You don't have to stop grilling. You can dramatically lower the amount of PAHs and HCAs by marinating your meat before grilling it. It doesn't have to be marinated for a very long time (even 5 minutes makes a huge difference, reducing PAH and HCA by as much as 92%), but the longer you marinate, the more flavorful the meat will be. Some research has shown that marinades with acid or oil are better than ones high in sugar (3). Additionally, tossing in some basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, or marjoram helps to reduce HCA levels because of their antioxidant properties. Easy peasy, and delicious (4).

3) Use Real Plates or Napkins

After you are done wonderfully cooking your food, you don't want to taint it by putting the piping hot food on plates that could leach chemicals onto the food. Usually BBQs or cookouts are known for using plastic or paper plates for easy cleaning up. But, plastic plates can transfer some harmful chemicals to the food, and so can paper plates if they are lined with an oil- or water-resistant coating. That magical water- and oil-proof property is often from chemicals known as PFAS, which easily gets onto the food items that it touches and takes years to break down, both in your body and in the environment. The best option would be to use real ceramic plates or some of these safe outdoor dishes that you can wash after the party, or unlined paper or bamboo plates that are completely compostable. Hey, if you are really going all out, why not just use napkins and create less trash over all. Who really needs a plate for a hotdog anyway?

4) Use Non-Toxic Sunscreen and Inspect Repellant

While this is less to do with the food, sunscreen and insect repellant are often popular for outdoor summertime events. While both have some pretty good benefits, like keeping you from getting burnt or covered in bites that can lead to various illnesses, some sunscreens and insect repellents contain pretty nasty chemicals. A good option is to wear long sleeve, lightweight shirts and pants that would protect you from both insects and sun. If that's just not seeming like an option for you, check out our roundup of safer sunscreen products. When it comes to bug repellant, that is more difficult and using a product with DEET, Picaridin, or IR3535 might still be your best bet. Some do find that oil of lemon eucalyptus (which is a particular active ingredient, different from lemon eucalyptus oil), can also be effective. You can read more about that over at EWG.

5) Limit Plastic Decorations and Toys

The last tip relates to the decorations and activities at your BBQ. We recommend avoiding plastic and opting for reusable decorations when you can. Read more about ideas for throwing a party with less plastic. For items that are more common at a BBQ party near water, try games like corn hole (made of wood) or sharks and minnows as opposed to beach balls. If you are more the type that likes to float around in the water, consider pool noodles instead of rafts and things. While slightly less instagramable or T-Swift inspired, foam noodles are safer than the plastic floats which are almost always made of PVC (which contains phthalates). Get creative for fun ways to play that don't require plastic toys.


References

1) Hall, McKenzie. Reduce your exposure to toxins from grilled meats. Chicago Tribune. July 2, 2014.

2) Chung SY, Yettella RR et al. Effects of grilling and roasting on the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in beef and pork. Food Chemistry. Volume 129, Issue 4, 15 December 2011, Pages 1420-1426.

3) Farhadian A, Abas F et al. Effects of marinating on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and fluoranthene) in grilled beef meat. Food Control. 28(2):420–425, December 2012.

          4) Riches, Derrick. Healthy Grilling. The Spruce. April 4, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018.
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          bbq parties grill plastic plates sunscreen insect repellant bug spray pool noodle foam float cooking
          Roundups
          water bottles

          Non-Toxic Kids Water Bottles

          With straws!

          Reusable water bottles are key when you need hydration on the go, especially when we've been doing so many outdoor activities. We love stainless steel and glass bottles because they keep water tasting fresh without leeching harmful chemicals and can be easily washed in the dishwasher. But reusable water bottles for kids can be trickier to find. You need something strong enough to withstand occasional drops from clumsy hands and be leak-proof enough to confidently carry around in a tote bag. That's why we rounded up our favorite non-toxic kids water bottles! These bottles are all durable and come in a ton of different patterns. Bonus: they all have straws!


          a) Muchkin Cool Cat Stainless Steel straw cup

          b) Thermos Funtainer

          c) Takeya Kids Insulated Water Bottle w/Straw Lid

          d) Pura Kiki with straw

          e) Snug Flask for Kids - Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle with Straw

          f) Klean Kanteen Kids Single Wall Stainless Steel Sport Bottle with Klean Coat

          g) Hydroflask Straw bottle kids

          kids water bottles reusable bottle straw stainless steel glass water bottles
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          Life
          climate change

          The Unequal Impacts of Climate Change on Women

          Why women's health is more at risk

          Women are the superheroes of our society, and just like in true superhero-fashion they carry out their work swiftly and efficiently without anyone realizing just how much they do to make sure everyone stays safe and life keeps running! They manage to juggle a variety of tasks everyday and their hard work is often under-appreciated. In lower income countries, women are the ones to grow and produce food, obtain water, cook, clean, bring up children, and take care of the household. However, even though women are awesome, they face unequal health risks compared to men and climate change will only make things worse. Read on to learn more about how climate change impacts women's health specifically.

          How women are more vulnerable

          Certain cultural and religiously based gender roles place women and girls at higher risk of developing health risks. For example, women suffer from higher rates of anemia and malnutrition compared to men globally (5). In countries with deep-rooted gender norms, women eat last after all the men and boys have been fed and consume the least amount of food (8). Women are usually also the first to sacrifice their own food to ensure their families have enough in periods of crisis (8). All of this contributes to calorie deficiency, chronic energy deficiency, and poor health in women, making them more vulnerable to climate catastrophes (13).

          Women are also more economically vulnerable due to lower social and political status in countries with strong gender roles (12). They often don't share the same rights as their male counterparts when it comes to things like social status, land ownership, educational opportunities, and health outcomes as it relates to reproductive and sexual health (12). Since women are responsible for household food and water collection in these countries--both time consuming and physically demanding tasks--they often don't have the time or opportunity to earn an income or continue their education or participate in local governance (12,13). In general, women in these societies have lower average literacy and education levels and even if they are able to secure a job are still regarded as secondary income earners and are the first to be laid off (13). This economic and social insecurity highlights the fact that women are more likely to slip into and live in poverty, inhibiting their ability to adequately provide self-protection and improve their socioeconomic condition (13).

          In many societies, women are also in charge of caregiving responsibilities, which could prevent them from leaving certain areas outside their immediate environment (12). This would impede their ability to mobilize in case of emergency or climate disaster (12). Women are also at higher risk of violence during and after disasters (12,13).

          It's clear to see from this that women face a number of challenges due to just their gender identity and often suffer more than men from poverty, hunger, malnutrition, economic crises, violence, and disaster related problems (13). Climate change-related disasters have the potential to make things worse.

          Climate Change will make things worse

          Climate change can impact people's health through a variety of mechanisms—heat, poor air quality, extreme weather events, reduced water quality, decreased food security, and vector-borne diseases, just to name a few (5). Since women have distinct physiologic and health needs throughout their life cycle, especially during periods like pregnancy, this places them at a greater risk of climate change impacts and sensitivities (2,5).

          Since climate change can lead to increased temperatures and sea level rise, this contributes to heat waves and saltwater intrusion in rural coastal areas (2, 6). Saltwater intrusion happens when seawater encroaches into fresh groundwater supplies and increases the salt content of people's drinking water (7). This is an issue because people can't drink salt water and it can't be used to irrigate crops, so this could contribute to water scarcity and food insecurity (7). In addition, both saltwater intrusion and heat waves increase the potential risk for pregnant women of developing preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, or delivering preterm (2,6).

          Since women often eat last in their families in certain countries, climate-driven food insecurity would worsen their already limited nutritional intake (5,8). This would negatively impact women's health during menstruation, pregnancy, and nursing—all periods of time when women have increased nutritional needs physiologically (2,5). Since women produce around 60-80% of all food in low-income countries and are the main food producers and providers in the world, climate change-related agricultural issues and food scarcity wouldn't just be a health issue but an economic one as well (2,3,5). Women's livelihoods as smallholder farmers would be at risk from climate-related crop failure, which would increase their risk of falling into poverty (5).

          During climate-related disasters like floods, storms, droughts, and heat waves, women suffer more mortality cases compared to men and are at a greater risk of experiencing physical, sexual, and domestic violence afterwards (2,5). This mortality difference is most striking when compared to women's socio-economic status in the country, since women have the worst mortality outcomes in countries where they have very low social, economic, and political status (10).

          This combination of low social and economic status and socially constructed gender roles contribute to the increased climate change-related health risks women have compared to men (9,13). However, we can do things to change this.

          The way forward

          Thankfully, organizations are aware of this disparity and have been researching how to mitigate it. By empowering women to participate in decision making at all levels and providing proper access to information and education, we can help develop and improve women's livelihoods and create lasting social change (13). Increasing women's social and economic opportunities will allow them to not only develop more social network connections and have greater autonomy and independence, but also contribute to overall better health outcomes.

          While both men and women will be vulnerable to changing environmental conditions, the drivers and effects of climate change are not gender neutral (3). To help address this, women should be included at all levels of decision making so as to contribute to the process of assessing vulnerabilities and capacities and promoting equality (2,5,13).



          References

          1. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30001-2
          2. https://books.google.com/books?id=JDAnEAAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA1&dq=climate+change+women+health&hl=en#v=onepage&q=climate%20change%20women%20health&f=false
          3. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7pr8xyafPi0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA55&dq=climate+change+women+health&ots=bT1kAckdWt&sig=9UuuKEYOw6TQKP0GICEQ0apiC-w#v=onepage&q=climate%20change%20women%20health&f=false
          4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.021
          5. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002603
          6. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/ehp.1002804
          7. https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/saltwater-intrusion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
          8. https://wfpusa.org/women-are-hungrier-infographic/#:~:text=Rooted%20Gender%20Norms-,Deep%2DRooted%20Gender%20Norms,ensure%20their%20families%20have%20enough.
          9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6
          10. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/144781/9789241508186_eng.pdf
          11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GH000163
          12. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Baten/publication/295861981_Gender_issue_in_climate_change_discourse_theory_versus_reality/links/585a2e0408aeffd7c4fda7a2/Gender-issue-in-climate-change-discourse-theory-versus-reality.pdf
          13. https://doi.org/10.11634/216796221504315

          women women's health health climate change
          Roundups
          personal care products

          11 Non-Toxic Deodorants

          Natural deodorants that actually work

          Switching from a traditional antiperspirant to a non-toxic deodorant can be a little tricky. We have found that patience and a little experimentation are what it takes for a successful switch. In order to find deodorants without synthetic fragrances, aluminum, or other harmful chemicals, we scoured ingredient lists, tried a ton of products, and read reviews to find the 11 best non-toxic, natural deodorants.

          Whether you have sensitive skin, want something with a pleasant smell, or want something unscented, we think there is something for everyone on this list! Not all deodorants work well for everyone, and some people prefer different application types. For some people, baking soda irritates the skin, and for others it doesn't. So, if the first one you try isn't working for you, try another one! There are baking soda free natural deodorants and there are some brands that have plastic free deodorant options too! Also, remember, these are deodorants, not antiperspirants, so the focus is on keeping you from smelling more than it is on keeping you from sweating, since sweating an important natural detox mechanism. So give one of these natural deodorants a try and be rest assured that they are better for your health!

          Keep Reading Show Less
          deodorant nontoxic natural personal care products roundups
          Life
          guest post

          What are Period Care Products Made Of?

          What you need to know about some concerning ingredients

          Because Health: Although being on your period can be a pain (sometimes literally- thanks cramps...), we know period products have got us covered. Even during tricky situations like swimming, athletics, or even wearing white pants, period products like pads, tampons, and menstrual cups are there for us. While they can be a life saver during our period, there's still so much we don't know about the ingredients that are used in these products, or how these exposures might impact our health. There's way too much mystery surrounding a product that we use daily, for hours at a time, that come into contact with some of the most absorbent and sensitive parts of the body, which is why Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) decided to look at this topic further. Keep reading to hear from WVE about what's in period care products, what regulations are needed, and some safer options that are available now.

          What's In Period Care Products?

          Most pads and tampons are much more than a simple piece of cotton. Generally, products are made to be super absorbant, comfortable, easy to use, and can have other properties like "odor-absorbing" or some products even provide a scent.

          Yet there is still so much we don't know about the ingredients that are used in these products, or how these exposures might impact our health. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers menstrual products "medical devices" so manufacturers of these products are not required to disclose their ingredients.

          Independent, testing from various organizations, media sources and governing bodies from around the world has found numerous chemicals of concern in these products, particularly in chemical additives such as fragrances, lubricants, lotions, odor-absorbing compounds and even antibacterial compounds that are often added to menstrual products by manufacturers. Chemicals linked to allergies, irritation, cancer, endocrine disruption and birth defects have all been found hiding in period care products. In fact, as recently as 2020, phthalates (chemicals widely flagged as harmful) were found in every single sample (of the total 43 pads, panty liners and tampons tested) that were tested!

          Once you realize how many questionable chemicals are in so many period products, It's not surprising to learn that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of adverse health reports regarding tampons and pads. They describe genital irritation, rashes, chemical burns, allergic reactions (including anaphylactic shock), toxic shock syndrome and other symptoms as a result of exposure to a menstrual pad, pantyliner or tampon.

          What Are the Health Impacts of Chemicals in Period Care Products

          These reports and tests have raised important questions about the potential health impacts of these exposures. While a few studies have attempted to assess and measure potential risks of these products, all have indicated that there is more work to be done to better understand the impacts these products may have. What's more, the route of exposure to chemicals from menstrual products is both unique and poorly understood. Chemicals absorbed through the vagina are easily and effectively distributed throughout the body, without being metabolized. In order to better understand the health impacts of chemical exposures from menstrual products — at the very least — we need to know what is in them.

          People deserve to know what's in the products they are using! This information is vital to make informed decisions about our health, and what we're putting on and in our bodies. We have come to expect disclosure of ingredients in foods and cosmetics because of the direct interaction of these products with our bodies. We should expect no less from menstrual products.

          New Regulations for Menstrual Care

          Because of public demand, many companies that make period products have started voluntarily disclosing some ingredients. In addition, many new companies have built ingredient disclosure into their policies and practices, understanding the importance of transparency and safety. However, voluntary disclosure remains problematic as it is inconsistent, is not universal, and these products are not always available or accessible to everyone.

          New Right to Know Regulations

          Important changes toward transparency are already in the works! In 2019, New York became the first state in the nation to require manufacturers of period care products to disclose ingredients. This new law will go into effect October 2021 require any menstrual products sold in the state to contain a "plain and conspicuous" list of all ingredients, in order of predominance. This must be printed on, or affixed to, the package. There's no doubt that this will have national impact, as it will open up new information about these products than ever before.

          On the federal level, Congresswoman Grace Meng, is reintroducing her bill, the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act, which will require disclosure of ingredients in menstrual products, including tampons, pads, menstrual cups and period underwear — providing vital ingredient information for people across the nation.

          Safer Period Products Available Right Now

          Even though there's a lot of work to be done related to the chemicals found in period products, we're already starting to see positive changes. An increasing amount of non-toxic options available for period products and ways to report negative health impacts means individuals can immediately take to protect their health.

          - Choose unscented products where available, especially in tampons and pads.

          - Choose chlorine-free bleach or unbleached tampons and pads.

          - Organic products are also a good option as they are typically free (or nearly free) of fragrances and pesticides, and often have fewer additives, dyes or bleaches.

          - If you are having allergic symptoms, switch brands, and then tell the company why you did by calling the 800 number on the label.

          - Report any symptoms possibly resulting from these products to the FDA by calling 1-800-332-1088 or filling out a consumer report form.

          - Look for period underwear that is made out of 100% cotton and doesn't use silver

          - To learn more about these issues visit womensvoices.org

          women's voices for the earth (wve) wve period pads guest post
          Roundups
          sunscreen

          The 10 Best Non-Toxic Facial Sunscreens

          Everyday coverage that protects against wrinkles and spots but won't clog pores

          Updated for 2021!

          Our best beauty tip? Wear sunscreen on your face every single day, all year round! Basically all dermatologists agree that wearing sunscreen is important to protect your skin from sun damage and keeps wrinkles and spots at bay. But, we know that it's not easy to find the right facial sunscreen for your skin type. And of course it's even harder to find facial sunscreens without any chemical sunscreens. So we dug through all that is out there to find non-toxic facial sunscreens without harmful chemicals that are well-reviewed, easy to find, and are all SPF 30 or higher. All of these facial sunscreens are mineral sunscreens, so they're healthier for you and are reef safe too, if you happen to be by the ocean. Many of our options also come in tinted versions, so they provide light coverage as well. So what are you waiting for? Check out these non-toxic facial sunscreens and pick one up!

          P.S. We also have a roundup of our favorite non-toxic all purpose and sport sunscreens, and non-toxic baby sunscreens!

          Keep Reading Show Less
          face moisturizer uv sunshine sunlight beauty personal care personal care products sunscreen
          Food
          cans

          Canned Coffee is Convenient, But What About BPA?

          Why they should be a treat instead of part of your daily routine

          Now that we're all working from home, it's easy to get bored of our everyday homemade coffee routine. Sometimes we just want something different to wake us up in the morning or even a quick pick me up in the afternoon! That's where canned coffee comes into play. It's quick, convenient, and comes in a ton of flavors. But that convenience might come at a cost; there's been concerns surrounding the use of BPA in the lining of canned products. So, does canned coffee pose a risk to health? We looked at the research to find out.

          The Problem With BPA in Cans

          BPA, or bisphenol A, is a synthetic chemical that acts like estrogen in our bodies and it has been known to screw with important hormones like testosterone and thyroid hormones. Some of the common health problems associated with BPA include breast cancer, reduced sperm production, obesity, reproductive issues, disruption of brain development and function, and damaging effects to the liver (1). To make matters worse, there is more and more scientific evidence that even very low doses of BPA exposure can be harmful, especially for pregnant women and babies. Low doses of BPA exposure have been tied to abnormal liver function, chronic inflammation of the prostate, cysts on the thyroid and pituitary gland, and many more serious health effects during the early stages of life (5).

          Even though BPA is definitely not a chemical we want to be exposed to, it's found basically everywhere, including our food. One common place to find BPA is the internal lining of canned foods or beverages. BPA can help prevent corrosion between the metal and the food or drink inside a can, but over time (or if stored under the wrong conditions like high temperatures), it can start to leach out and get into the food or drink (2). Even cans that say BPA free can have nasty BPA alternatives that have been shown to have similar hormone disrupting effects (7).

          Studies have shown that canned soft drinks, beers, and energy drinks all had small traces of BPA in them. Beer was found with the highest concentration of BPA, followed by energy drinks. Soft drinks were found to have the lowest concentration of BPA. In order to find out where BPA in these drinks was coming from, researchers compared the canned drinks to the same drinks packaged in glass bottles. They found very little to no traces of BPA in the glass bottled drinks, which means that the source of BPA in the canned drinks was definitely coming from the cans themselves (2,3,4).

          Even if there are only small traces of leachable BPA, it can still be harmful if we are consuming canned products on a regular basis.

          Is Canned Coffee Safe?

          With the recent increase in popularity of cold brew and other canned coffee drinks, there have not been extensive studies on BPA levels in canned coffee. However, one study of canned coffee drinks in Asia, where they have been popular for longer, did find that BPA was leaching into the coffee from the can. Interestingly, they also found that the more caffeine was in the coffee, the more BPA leached from the can into the drink. Meaning the more caffeine, the more BPA! (4,6) Now before you think you can get away with only drinking decaf canned coffee, keep in mind that caffeine only increases the leaching from the can, but it can still happen without it (6).

          Even though the levels of BPA found in canned coffee were relatively small, because BPA is all around us in so many common products, we should try to limit our exposure as much as we can. This means that it's probably okay to drink a canned coffee every once in a while, but best practice is to not drink them every day. But if you're in the middle of a road trip and are desperate for some energy, don't get too stressed about grabbing a canned coffee!

          Canned Coffee Alternatives

          If you're starting to get worried about what coffee to buy when you're out and about or when you want something more than just plain coffee, don't stress! We thought of some easy and fun alternatives for your canned coffee fix that might make you forget all about it!

          1. Swap out the canned coffee for coffee in a glass bottle or tetrapaks whenever possible.
          2. Find some fun new ways to make coffee at home like using a Chemex or a nice French press!
          3. Go get a coffee at your local coffee shop. Support small businesses if you can!
          4. If you like canned coffee because of the flavors, try making your own caramel or mocha sauce at home. It's pretty easy and it saves money! For something icy and refreshing, we are partial to muddling some fresh mint with some cold brew.


          References

          vom Saal, F. S., & Vandenberg, L. N. (2021). Update on the Health Effects of Bisphenol A: Overwhelming Evidence of Harm. Endocrinology, 162(bqaa171). https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaa171 (1)

          Cao, X.-L., Corriveau, J., & Popovic, S. (2010). Sources of Low Concentrations of Bisphenol A in Canned Beverage Products. Journal of Food Protection, 73(8), 1548–1551. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-73.8.1548 (2)

          Determination of BPA, BPB, BPF, BADGE and BFDGE in canned energy drinks by molecularly imprinted polymer cleaning up and UPLC with fluorescence detection. (2017). Food Chemistry, 220, 406–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.10.005 (3)

          Kang, J.-H., & Kondo, F. (2002). Bisphenol A migration from cans containing coffee and caffeine. Food Additives and Contaminants, 19(9), 886–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/02652030210147278 (4)

          Prins, G. S., Patisaul, H. B., Belcher, S. M., & Vandenberg, L. N. (2019). CLARITY-BPA academic laboratory studies identify consistent low-dose Bisphenol A effects on multiple organ systems. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 125(S3), 14–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.13125 (5)

          Kang, J.-H., & Kondo, F. (2002). Bisphenol A migration from cans containing coffee and caffeine. Food Additives and Contaminants, 19(9), 886–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/02652030210147278 (6)

          Pelch, K., Wignall, J. A., Goldstone, A. E., Ross, P. K., Blain, R. B., Shapiro, A. J., Holmgren, S. D., Hsieh, J.-H., Svoboda, D., Auerbach, S. S., Parham, F. M., Masten, S. A., Walker, V., Rooney, A., & Thayer, K. A. (2019). A scoping review of the health and toxicological activity of bisphenol A (BPA) structural analogues and functional alternatives. Toxicology, 424, 152235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2019.06.006 (7)

          coffee canned coffee drink beverage bpa bpa free plastic cans
          Roundups
          personal care products

          10 Best Non-Toxic Sunscreens. All Reef Safe Of Course!

          For the beach and all your outdoor sweaty activities.

          Updated for 2021!

          We updated our sunscreen roundup for 2021 with the 10 best reviewed, non-toxic mineral sunscreens we could find. As always, we make sure that our picks are easy to find online and in stores.

          Sunscreen in our minds is synonymous with summer and being outside! But there are so many choices, it's hard to know if what you're getting is something that actually works and that you will like. Not to mention that there are some questionable chemicals in sunscreens that are definitely horrible for coral reefs and might be endocrine disruptors that are absorbed through your skin and have been found to circulate in your blood. We'd prefer to stick with mineral sunscreens that basically act like a physical barrier to harmful UV rays.

          These picks are great as everyday body and sport sunscreens. We always have one by the door so that every family member loads up before leaving the house. So look for one of our top 10 picks for non-toxic sunscreens the next time your tube is empty. Many of these brands have plenty of options in stick formats, with and without tints, and come in a variety of formulations for everyday wear, sweaty sports and beach days. Any of these are 10 options are safe for kids and babies too, but if you're looking for a specific baby or toddler sunscreen, be sure to check out our best 13 non-toxic baby sunscreen options. We also have a roundup of facial sunscreens that are formulated especially for everyday coverage that protects against wrinkles and spots but won't clog pores.



          a) All Good Sport Sunscreen SPF 30
          b) Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen SPF 30
          c) Badger Clear Zinc Regular and Sport Sunscreen SPF 30
          d) Blue Lizard Sensitive Sunscreen
          e) EleVen On-the-Defense Sunscreen SPF 30
          f) Block Island Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
          g) Jason Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Broad Spectrum
          h) Juice Beauty SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen
          i) Thinksport Safe Sunscreen SPF 50
          j) Two Peas Organics SPF 30 Unscented Mineral Sunscreen



          Because Health is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program so that when you click through our Amazon links, a percentage of the proceeds from your purchases will go to Because Health. We encourage you to shop locally, but if you do buy online buying through our links will help us continue the critical environmental health education work we do. Our participation does not influence our product recommendations. To read more about how we recommend products, go to our methodology page.

          sunscreen endocrine disruptors sunlight sunshine skin personal care personal care products beach body uv
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