There’s plenty of debate about the safety and effectiveness of today’s popular sunscreens, how and when to use them and whether the chemicals they contain are safe or potentially deadly.

Four out of five name-brand sunscreens contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or offer inadequate protection, according to the second annual sunscreen summary by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit environmental research organization.

Leading brands – Coppertone, Banana Boat and Neutrogena – were the worst offenders, according to the group, which recommended 143 products at cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Only 15% of 952 products analyzed met EWG’s criteria for safety and effectiveness: blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards.

The EWG recommends avoiding sunscreens containing the commonly used chemical oxybenzone out of concern that it can disrupt hormones, cause allergic reactions and damage cells.

“It’s one of the most absorbed sunscreen blockers, which wouldn’t necessarily be a concern, but it has high toxicity issues,” said EWG senior analyst Sonya Lunder.

Many products on the market bear claims that are considered “unacceptable” or misleading under FDA’s draft sunscreen safety standards. Claims like “all day protection,” “mild as water,” and “blocks all harmful rays” are not true, yet are found on bottles. Until FDA sets an effective date for these standards, industry is free to use hyped claims.

Want to know how safe your sunscreen really is? Want to know which products are safe to use? Checkout their 2008 Sunscreen Safety Guide.

Of course we here at Buy-Rash-Guards believe strongly in protecting ourselves form the harmful UV rays of the sun AND lowering our exposure to harmful chemicals found in sunscreens – that’s why we offer a line of rash guard shirts that will provide you with SPF 150+ protection that won’t wash off, breakdown in sunlight or cause your body to absorb harmful chemicals.

You can use our rashguards in conjunction with a safe and effective sunscreen to safely lower your exposure to the UVA and UVB rays of the sun that cause skin cancer.