Checking your sunscreen and hand sanitizer for bad news benzene

During the summer months, my pale skin will get crispy quick. Each year, I stock up on some spray on, 50 SPF protection stuff. I love the Neutrogena stuff because it does not irritate my skin and doesn't feel gross. 

The other night, my mom told me something vague about a recall on sunscreen. Investigating further, I found that a company called Valisure "has tested and detected high levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen, in several brands and batches of sunscreen." The company found benzene in 43 out of 224 sunscreens and in 8 of 48 after-sun products. The FDA guidance suggests that no level of benzene is safe, and it is not permitted in these or other products.

Naturally, I immediately went to the study and found the product I use (the list starts on page 12) to see if I've been spraying carcinogens on myself for years. The lot number on my product did not appear on the list, but the product itself did. 

Perfect. If the sun's radiation doesn't get you, the shield you apply to your skin will. Stay as safe as you can out there. Remember, a tan is you just damaging your skin cells. Apply and reapply often.

Oh, also, the same company tested hand sanitizers and the findings there weren't great, either. 

Cheap, Free, Fun: Disc Golf

OK, here's the deal: I suck at disc golf. Badly. Yet, I cannot hate on disc golf for a multitude of reasons. Here's a few:

• It's outdoors. As a Michigander, if you can do something outdoors in the summer - YOU SHOULD. You've got plenty of time to sit inside and shelter yourself from the cold, sad winter months.
• It's cheap - no, wait - it's FREE! Well, most of the time it's free. A lot of parks have disc golf courses built in them.
• It's cheap - part deux. Have you ever bought a set of golf clubs? With a bag? And balls? And a glove? (Me neither, but I did score an AWESOME hand-me-down of such treasures!) However, had my cousin decided she wasn't going to have a bunch of children and give up golf, I'd never afford it. In fact, I still can't afford it. With disc golf, you'll need: discs ($12-25), gas money to get there (ok, maybe it's not THAT cheap) and buddies.
• Exercise. Need to stop being fat? Do you at least want to get a little more active? Well, as with golf, you can get lots of walking in with an 18-hole disc golf course. As stated, I suck badly at this disc golf business, but even just hanging out, watching others suck badly and walking with the gang is fun and a workout.

Some resources:

• Great article about the basics: "Disc Golf 101: The basics" from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
• Find courses near you with the Professional Disc Golf Association's Course Directory.