Banana Boat Recalls Sunscreen After Some Users Catch on Fire

WASHINGTON (AP) - The maker of Banana Boat sunscreen is recalling some of its spray-on products after reports that a handful of people have caught on fire after applying the lotion and coming in contact with an open flame.

Energizer Holdings (ENR) said Fridaythat it is pulling 23 varieties of UltraMist sunscreen off store shelves due to the risk of the lotion igniting when exposed to fire.
The recall includes aerosol products like UltraMist Sport, UltraMist Ultra Defense and UltraMist Kids.

A company spokesman said there have been five reports of people suffering burns after using the sunscreen in the last year. Four burn cases were reported in the U.S. and one in Canada.

More than 20 million units have been sold since UltraMist launched in 2010, the spokesman said.

Energizer said in a statement that the problem appears to be caused by UltraMist's spray valve, which is over applying the product. As a result the lotion is taking longer to dry, which raises 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.

UltraMist's label warns users: "Do not use in the presence of a flame or spark. Keep away from sources of ignition - no smoking."

But dermatologists say most people don't read such labels.

"So many people put this on outside, while they're on their way to activities, so I just don't think people are aware of that," said Dr. Michele Green, a dermatologist at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.

Green said aerosol sunscreens have become popular in recent years because they're faster and easier to apply, but not necessarily more effective.

"I think the old-fashioned creams apply better and seem to protect you better - the sprays just don't seem to work as well," Green said.

The company said it has notified the Food and Drug Administration about the voluntary recall.

Consumers who purchased the products are being told not to use them. More information is available from the manufacturer at 1-800-SAFESUN.

Burn experts said Friday the problem appears to be extremely rare.

"We've found no evidence of this happening before the incidents that came to our attention," said Dan Dillard, executive director of the Burn Prevention Network. Dillard's group was contacted earlier in the year about two burns related to UltraMist. One case involved a man who was standing near a barbecue grill, the other case involved a woman working with welding equipment. Both cases resulted in second and third degree burns.

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.

Shale wrote:Glad I don't use sunscreen.

Doug Piranha wrote:

I know you think your tan gives some protection against harmful UV rays. Studies have shown that to be true. Those same studies, however, determined that the process of getting one, i.e. exposing your skin to direct sunlight are carcinogenic. So you've sort of closed the barn door after the horse got out. You've already damaged your skin through the process of trying to protect it.
...

In search of the safe suntan
For years, the official word on tanning has been…don’t. Health organizations have driven home the message that even if we think a suntan looks healthy, it’s not, and that the sun exposure needed to get the tan increases your chances of getting skin cancer.

Researchers at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have conducted a series of experiments that put tanning in a different light. A suntan, they say, is the body’s best effort to fend off the known cancerous effects of ultraviolet (UV) light, the invisible portion of the light spectrum that comes in short, energy-packed wavelengths that penetrate the skin and mutate DNA.

The Harvard researchers are emphatically on the side of sunscreen and avoidance of excessive sun or other UV exposure. But they’re also looking for ways to harness the “tanning pathway” that might give fair-skinned people the protective benefits of having a tan without going through the hazards of getting one.

How we tan
The conventional wisdom about how a suntan comes about has been that when UV light strikes cells in the skin called melanocytes, the cells produce the brownish-black pigment called melanin, which darkens the skin. So while a tan itself wouldn’t cause cancer, it’s a sign of UV exposure that almost certainly does.

But all along there’s been some confusion, because it’s well documented that people with dark skin, as well as those who tan easily, are less likely to get skin cancer than fair-skinned people. If a tan signals possible skin damage, why is it also associated with a lower risk of skin cancer? Might a tan be protective?

Experiments have shown that tanning is a more circuitous process than previously thought. It starts when UV light provokes keratinocytes, the main cells of the upper epidermis, to release hormones that stimulate melanocytes, which lie deeper in the skin than the keratinocytes. The melanocyte-stimulating hormones latch onto receptors located on the melanocytes, more or less putting the key into the ignition of melanin production. But rather than hoarding the pigment, the melanocytes selflessly send much of it back to the keratinocytes, creating a tan.

When the melanin enters a keratinocyte, it concentrates over the nucleus — where the DNA, the cell’s genetic material, is located. “It actually collects on the sun-facing side of the cell,” notes Dr. David Fisher, director of the Melanoma Program in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber. “We don’t fully understand the mechanisms at work…but under a microscope, the pigment forms into these super-efficient little umbrellas protecting the nuclei.” That protection from UV light may prevent mutations that could result in skin cancer.

“The trigger for tanning — UV radiation — is absolutely damaging and absolutely carcinogenic,” continues Dr. Fisher, noting that the protection afforded by melanin is not absolute. “But tanning itself appears to be an adaptive response to harmful stress.”

Tan for the tanless
That’s the story of tanning, but what about people who don’t tan? Dr. Fisher’s lab and others have conducted experiments that suggest the melanocytes of redheads (who are nontanners) have a variant form of an important receptor. When melanocyte-stimulating hormones bind to those receptors, melanocytes don’t produce the dark melanins that give people a tan. So, instead, the skin cells are left with melanin that’s reddish yellow in color and — unlike the darker melanins — this version seems to offer little in the way of protection against UV radiation.

Dr. Fisher and his colleagues decided to find out whether it might be possible to work around the receptor that doesn’t produce dark melanin. He treated red-haired lab mice (a model for humans who don’t tan) with a topical preparation known to raise levels of the next compound in the tanning pathway. It worked. Without any UV exposure the mice tanned a deep, dark brown. Moreover, their tans had all the protective characteristics of a regular, UV-induced tan.

The upshot
So, if tans are protective, should we toss our SPF 45 and become sun worshippers? Definitely not. The only safe tan would be one produced by activating the skin’s tanning process without running the risk of the DNA damage that occurs with exposure to UV light, either naturally from the sun or artificially at a tanning salon.

But should easy, dark tanners seek out a tan for its protective value? The answer is no, because the UV light needed to get that tan can cause skin cancer. It’s unclear if truly safe UV exposure can ever be achieved.

For now, your best bet is to avoid excessive UV light exposure — especially if you’re blond or redheaded and don’t tan well, but also if you do. And use sunscreen. It protects against sunburn — and severe sunburn is thought to be a risk factor for melanoma. The protective value of any sunscreen depends on how you use it and, in particular, whether you use enough. To get the full benefit, apply sunscreen before going outside, and use about two to three tablespoons for your whole body. You should also reapply sunscreen every two hours or after going in the water.