Sunlight can have deleterious effects on humans: causes sunburns and is the principal cause of skin cancers. Usage of TiO₂ (and ZnO) in sunscreen lotions, widely used as UVA/UVB blockers, and intended to prevent sunburns and to protect consumers from skin cancers (carcinomas and melanomas) is examined. Although used to mineralize many undesired organic pollutants, TiO₂ is considered to be a safe physical sunscreen agent because it reflects and scatters both UVB (290-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm) sunlight; however, it also absorbs substantial UV radiation which, in aqueous media, yields hydroxyl radial ((DOT)OH) species. These species cause substantial damage to DNA (J. Photochem.Photobio.A:Chem.,111(1997)205). Most importantly, sunlight-illuminated sunscreen TiO₂ particles catalyze DNA damage both in vitro and in human cells (FEBS Letters, 418 (1997)87). These results raise concerns on the overall effects of sunscreens and raise the question on the suitability of photoactive TiO₂ as a sunscreen component without further studies. The photocatalytically active nature of these metal oxides necessitates some changes since even the TiO₂ specimens currently used in suncreams cause significant DNA strand breaks.

Date Published: 18 June 2001
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 4258, Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Surfaces: Novel Reporters with Biological Applications, (18 June 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.430765

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4258:
Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Surfaces: Novel Reporters with Biological Applications
Catherine J. Murphy, Editor(s)