Chemicals in Banana Boat Sunscreen Burns Consumers

Australian authorities are desperately trying to contact Banana Boat Sunscreens distributers after a batch of over 500,000 products of UltraMist sunscreen in the US were recalled after a handful of people caught on fire after using the product and coming in contact with an open flame.

More from the Brisbane Times:

“Energizer Holdings said on Friday that it was pulling 23 varieties of the UltraMist sunscreen off store shelves due to the risk of the lotion igniting when exposed to fire.

A spokeswoman for Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), said it was trying to get in touch with local distributors.

‘‘The TGA is urgently contacting the distributors to see if this exact product is available in Australia, as well as liaising with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US) and other overseas regulators,’’ the spokeswoman said.

Comment was being sought from Banana Boat’s local distributor.

The recall in the US includes aerosol products like UltraMist Sport, UltraMist Ultra Defense and UltraMist Kids.

The problem was caused by UltraMist’s spray valve, which was over-applying the product, Energizer said in a statement.

 As a result, the lotion was taking longer to dry, increasing the flammability risk. ‘‘If a consumer comes into contact with a flame or spark prior to complete drying of the product on the skin, there is a potential for the product to ignite,’’ the company said.

In Stow, Boston, Brett Sigworth was severely burned on his neck, chest and back after he sprayed Banana Boat’s Ultramist Sport as he stood in front of his grill.

In the UK, Dan Dillard, executive director of the Burn Prevention Network said, after being contacted earlier in the year about two burns related to UltraMist, that another woman suffered burns while working with welding equipment.

Dillard pointed out that the ingredients used in aerosol sprays are known to be flammable:

‘The alcohol and petroleum products listed on the containers are flammable, so the only thing you’re missing in the heat triangle is an ignition source,’ Dillard said.

There are chemically sensitive people who react to minute amounts of the ingredients in these products—proof that these products are not safe—yet they are still sold to consumers. It’s not warning enough that a small slice of the population are excluded from society because of symptoms caused from breathing the air contaminated by these aromatic solvents worn by others, and that in itself, proves that these products are destructive to human health; now, the burden of proof has fallen on the everyday consumer! Surely, it’s time for the governments of the world to make sure the precautionary principle be applied to all products before they are allowed onto the market?

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