green your sunscreen.

If you’re ready to enjoy some hot fun in the summertime, don’t forget to protect yourself from harmful Ultraviolet Rays. While covering up with light-colored clothing and sporting a hat or head scarf is the most effective way to block the sun, you may find that fewer clothes are more appropriate for swimming and other activities. Before you reach for the SPF, consider its contents. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a new study showing that nearly all Americans are contaminated with oxybenzone, a widely-used sunscreen ingredient. This chemical so far has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage, as well as low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers are exposed during pregnancy.

To make matters worse, researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy discovered in controlled experiments conducted in the coral reefs of Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt that even in small amounts, the ultraviolet filters in lotions caused the coral to discharge large amounts of coral mucus, a sign of environmental stress, and to eventually bleach. The research also indicated elevated virus levels in the seawater, suggesting that sunscreens may induce latent viral infections in coral. Not good news considering that an estimated 4,000- to 6,000 tons of sunscreen byproducts annually make their way to reef areas. Yikes!

Protect yourself from the sun, but keep it sexy for the environment. Skip products containing the Big 4 of harsh sunscreen chemicals: octinoxate, oxybenzone and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor — and the preservative butylparaben. Consider using products that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide instead.