Something else to worry about

For years, I've been telling friends not to use sunscreens that go on as a spray. This goes triple for kids. There are nanoparticles in most sunscreens these days and we have no clue how harmful they are once they get inside the human body. 

Here's an excerpt from the linked article:

Scientists don't yet know how long nanoparticles remain in the human body or what they might do there. But research on animals has found that inhaled nanoparticles can reach all areas of the respiratory tract; because of their small size and shape, they can migrate quickly into cells and organs. The smaller particles may also pose risks to the heart and blood vessels, the central nervous system and the immune system, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The old, creepy white zinc sunscreens that lifeguards used to use on their noses are safe. And okay, they're ugly too -- but they have no nanoparticles. If you really want to protect yourself and your kids, be very careful with sunscreens. They're not labeled as having nanoparticles in them because the US is a third world country that doesn't pay attention to anything anymore.

If you have kids, make sure you don't spray sunscreen on them. They'll breathe it in and it will never come out of their bodies. (I know the article says they're not sure how long the nanoparticles remain in the body, but I've read that they never leave and there is no way to remove them once you've breathed them in.) If there's no other choice, cover the kids' faces as you spray them. It's also dangerous if they lick skin that has sunscreen on it, so watch that too. Protect your kids (and yourself, too).

And don't worry, our crack FDA team is on it:

Though nanomaterials have been used in consumer products for more than a decade, the FDA acknowledged for the first time in April that they differ from their bulk counterparts and have potential new risks that may require testing.

Duh.

Updated to fix link. Lost the original story, substituted a similar one.

Funny kid photos

This is my favorite childhood photo of my nephews. We used to have so much fun together, and one of the things we enjoyed was sticking them into funny photos. Of all the strange photos we produced back then, this is the one that makes me laugh the most. Just thought I'd share it with the throng.

Nice gift for kids

I've been meaning to do this post for a while. If you have kids in your life, consider this inexpensive gift. That's an image of the Deco Cube on the left. It's a battery-powered light and it looks very cool.

They're sold at Edmund Scientific and they only cost $9.95. You simply press down on the top of the plastic cube to turn it on or off. It's great fun because you can change the color of the light. There are five constant (i.e., steady and unchanging) colors to choose from. The choices are blue, red, green or white -- or you can choose a setting that combines colors. When on the latter setting, the light doesn't just range through the colors I mentioned -- it mixes them so all sorts of colors appear.

The lights run for quite a long time on three AA batteries. Or you can buy a 4.5 volt AC to DC adaptor (elsewhere) and run the light on the plug. Either way, they're great (and perfect for those nights when you lose power).
 
The light is a soft, glowing color except when it's on the white setting (and green is rather bright too). You change colors with a slider on the bottom of the cube. Kids love these things. It immediately becomes their nightlight, or cool-kids light when friends come over. Be cool yourself and get one for a kid. You'll be glad you did. (They've also got a 30X pocket microscope for $40. I suspect most kids, particularly boys, would like one.)