Schoolchildren in danger from... sunscreen?

Apparently they are... if the schools are to be believed.

Apparently, Christi Riggs' daughter was in more danger from overexposure to the sun... logical, since her family has a history of skin cancer. But the school said "NO!" to sunscreen, because..

However, officials for the district say that the product is banned because it is considered a toxic substance.

“We don’t want students sharing sunscreen,” school district spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor told ABC News. “If students get it in their eyes or react badly to the sunscreen it can be quite serious.”

Students are only able to apply sunscreen if they have a doctor’s note, Chancellor said. However, Riggs says the school district’s ban still puts children in danger.

I picked up on this story listening to the Today Show in the background. They added that sunscreen was classified as a medication, although that isn't specified in my link. I'm just curious how long before chapstick requires a doctor's excuse.

Now, I don't use the stuff myself, mainly because I spent so much time in the sun growing up that I'm wearing a leather bodysuit even when naked. But I'm a redneck, and most folks aren't. Especially a little girl who, judging from the fact she got sunburned, either didn't spend much time under those deadly rays normally or had a propensity to not be safe from them. At least the mother screened her up before she left, but she wasn't allowed to re-apply sunscreen. That stuff doesn't last forever, does it?

The stoopidity continues... not only are we falling behind the rest of the planet in education, but we're now physically hurting our kids in the process of not educating them properly, in the name of protecting them. In what universe can any intelligent adult think sunscreen on a field trip is a health hazard?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

unbelieveable. It´s like they want the youth to become idiots. If they can´t have sunscreen because they could get it in the eye...what about glue, or sharp objects like scissors. Oh wait, lets ban pencils because they are dangerous...

That link was an older story from 2014, but apparently the debate continues in Washington.

Without a note from a doctor and a parent, state law and policy set by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction don’t allow students to bring sunscreen to school or apply it while they are there. Under state law school employees are also banned from lathering it on a student, even on bright sunny days.

My apologies... Apparently this has been ongoing for a while. Which brings up the question of why do people allow this idiocy for so long?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Well there are pretty toxic substances in suncreens

edition.cnn.com...

Toxic ingredients? The Environmental Working Group says 56% of beach and sport sunscreens contain the chemical oxybenzone. The primary function of oxybenzone is to absorb ultraviolet light, but some research shows oxybenzone can be absorbed through the skin. The Environmental Working Group and other toxicology experts believe that oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and potentially to cell damage that may lead to skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology says oxybenzone is safe. "Oxybenzone is one of the few FDA-approved ingredients that provides effective broad spectrum protection from UV radiation, and has been approved for use since 1978," said Dr. Daniel M. Siegel, president of the academy. The Food and Drug Administration has approved oxybenzone in sunscreen for use on children older than 6 months. "We will continue to push for better options every year. We're trying to fill the gap where the FDA has failed," said Leiba. The Environmental Working Group also warns consumers to avoid retinyl palminate.

Simple solution.
Stop sending your kids to those schools and homeschool instead.

That may not be a solution for 2 working parents though.
Suing could be another option.


The school is to be forced into caring for your children if you're being forced into sending your children to school in the first place.

They're the carers during the day time.

They better own up to that sh*t.

I would guess it only riles up the parents that actually look after their kids (pre-protective measurements). Since they have everthing to loose and less to gain in the short time this is an issue (kids leave school someday) you can´t expect much protest.

Fall in disgrace with the wrong teacher over such stuff and it´s your kids that suffers the most. Because authority...

a reply to: TheRedneck

seems like an isolated case of fear mongering.

Doesn't seem to be something worth worrying about.

Especially if you're at all concerned about govm't reg-u-lations

a reply to: TheRedneck
The equivalent debate in the UK would be about whether umbrellas are dangerous- "You could poke someone's eye out with that!"

Second hand sunscreen???

we are being assaulted by the toxic crap that they throw into the products we buy everyday, including the food...
why does it surprise me to find out that sunscreen is a toxic substance?

I am siding with the school on this one. of course, I am quite sensitive to some of those products in the store and avoid such things as sunscreens and skin moisturizers... having your skin covered in blisters is quite painful!!
but then, so aren't sun burns..

maybe it's time we start thinking about find alternatives to all those toxins that are disposed of by throwing them into our products??

ufff...it's stupid but i get where they are coming from...you don't want to add stuff that parents can use to sue the school about, i mean let's face it, the moment some accident happens, the parents will throw the usual over exaggerated "what about the children" tantrum and then there is the whole social media mob mentality...i'm sure most of you reading this know that whole song and dance.

still what is happening to that child is unfair and even dangerous, but more than the school, we should, in my opinion, blame most parents for this stupid habit of trying to grow their kids up in some isolation chamber.
schools.
In the end of the day, schools work places etc have these kind of rules and regulations not to protect you, but to protect themselves from you.

originally posted by: dawnstar
I am siding with the school on this one. of course, I am quite sensitive to some of those products in the store and avoid such things as sunscreens and skin moisturizers... having your skin covered in blisters is quite painful!!
but then, so aren't sun burns..

How about not using it and leaving the decision to the individual? I can see it being a problem with residue on chairs, though..

I would have to say that Sunscreen is bad for many people. I can see them regulating it's use in schools. Some kids are putting it on all the time, we need sunlight to complete a couple of metabolic processes. People are being steered to believe the sun is our enemy. It is to some people who have certain risk factors, but to the majority it isn't.

Our society has gone crazy with sunscreen. Many people put it on every day, even if they do not go outside most of the day. Then people are taking vitamin D supplements which require sun exposure to process, a process that is inhibited by sunscreen. Parents have been conditioned to believe in something that is not true. Yes, maybe ten percent of people need sunscreen but the rest of us don't.

Now if you consume a lot of food containing furocoumerins, or certain medicines, then you need to watch the sun. But lowering consumption of those foods will take care of the problem. As for the medicines, they are usually only used temporarily except in older people.

Also if your kids are eating oranges the juice squirting out when they peel them can cause some problems. Just wash your hands and arms before going out in the sun, the sunscreen won't help that anyway. It will still cause problems from the citrus fruits.

It really is not that hard to learn about this, it is better to spend a little time studying what I say than putting sunscreen on when the kids are in school. Sure, if you are going out to the beach or going for a long hike, sunscreen is good, but not when you spend most of the day sitting at a desk. That fifteen minutes they go outside for a break won't hurt most kids, just a few that are actually sensitive to the sun.

I think that this school is right about this issue myself, if someone is worried they can get a note from their doctor for the kid. Doctors need to inform parents about the truth about this, but half of them do not actually know. All the bad stuff about the sun, stuff that does not apply to most of us, is exploited while the good stuff the sun does in our body barely gets mentioned.

Yes, sunscreen is good if your kids are out playing in the sun for extended periods. It is not needed to protect you from the light of a computer monitor. Some kids do have a high cancer risk and porphyria genetics and the sun can be bad for them. Your kids do not need to eat oranges and citrus if they are going out into the sun that day, they do not need to eat celery which has the furocoumerins in higher amounts that day either. Watch the kids if they are on meds that make them sensitive to sunlight while they are on them and for maybe a week after they are off of them.

I am sorry to disagree with consensus of the time, but evidence does not show that consensus of the time is real in this case. It is for some people but not most others. Can I tell you if your kid should wear sunscreen, no I can't. But I can explain some things to others so they will know how things work so they can make an informed decision about things.

originally posted by: sunkuong
a reply to: TheRedneck

seems like an isolated case of fear mongering.

Doesn't seem to be something worth worrying about.

Especially if you're at all concerned about govm't reg-u-lations

Er... these are regulations...

And I would think that the well being of children would be something worth worrying about.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

One that has a child that is deathly allergic to sunscreen.

a reply to: dawnstar

My wife is allergic to cheese (migraine trigger), but that doesn't mean people should get a doctor's prescription to get a hunk of Provolone. It means she doesn't eat cheese. Heck, we have some in the house... I love the stuff (and being a redneck, I can eat stuff that would make a shark gag and a billy goat puke).

At some point, allergies and sensitivities become the responsibility of the sufferer; they cannot be the responsibility of the rest of the population. We can't eradicate peanuts because some people are allergic. We can state that a product may contain peanuts, but then it is the responsibility of the person with the peanut allergy to decide "I'm not going to eat this stuff because I don't want to die."

Both my kids had to have medical cards on file when they entered school, so the school would be aware of any special conditions. That's a good thing. Withholding simple precautions because someone else might be sensitive to it is a bad thing.

TheRedneck

a reply to: Kali74

Read my reply to dawns tar.

TheRedneck

a reply to: rickymouse

I would have to say that Sunscreen is bad for many people. I can see them regulating it's use in schools. Some kids are putting it on all the time, we need sunlight to complete a couple of metabolic processes. People are being steered to believe the sun is our enemy. It is to some people who have certain risk factors, but to the majority it isn't.

Our society has gone crazy with sunscreen. Many people put it on every day, even if they do not go outside most of the day. Then people are taking vitamin D supplements which require sun exposure to process, a process that is inhibited by sunscreen. Parents have been conditioned to believe in something that is not true. Yes, maybe ten percent of people need sunscreen but the rest of us don't.

I can't disagree with you... not a big sunscreen fan myself, like I said... but then again, can either of us say what is right for the woman or her daughter? Sunscreen is in common use, is readily available, is inexpensive, and does reduce the risk of sunburn. To treat it like a prescription medication is sorta over the top, don'cha think? Especially on a field trip?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

hmm I'm sorry I can't offer much with this, only that I stopped using sunscreen years ago because I felt the chemicals reacting with the sun probably lead to skin cancer, my own analysis at the time, upon the high concentration of cancer victims in hot countries where they lather the stuff on like in australia.

Coconut oil however, does the same thing in protecting your skin from the rays of the sun without the negative effects. No chemicals going into the body.

a reply to: TheRedneck

And sometimes being in the same room as a an allergen can make them very sick. I was a daycare teacher, it's not all that hard to manage children's various medical needs. Most of my parents cared too much about their kids to put sunscreen on them. They wore hats and light clothing that covered them. We had one kid who break out in hives from eggs so we didn't have eggs in the building, none of the other parents seemed to mind giving their kids eggs at home.

LOL - Chevron, Halliburton, Anadarko, and I can name lots of other US companies that have sunscreen supplied as a standard for QHSE requirements, they should be sued for poisoning their staff, the bastards.

I, I, I am just absolutely perplexed at the level of full retard some go to achieve their version of utopia, it's bloody amazing to behold!