Re: sunblock and relative risk

July 20, 2009

It's true, there are a million things out there to make us sick.

There's a balance to be found in figuring out what the relative risks

actually are and deciding what's worth taking action on, and what

risks we can live with, and what we can raise the alarm and make a

difference about.

Driving cars is a whole lot more dangerous, considering the actual

risk, than either using sunscreen or getting a little excess sun

exposure. (And I think that if sun exposure is done sensibly, the

benefit from reducing my risk of all kinds of cancers exceeds that

from getting skin cancer.) Personally, I drive with my moon roof open,

weather permitting, to let heat escape from my car without air

conditioning and to balance out the sun exposure on my left arm

(trucker's tan) with more on the right arm.

I'm to the point where I just don't want to use any manufactured

potion that doesn't serve a really important purpose in my life. I

cringe at all the plastic and metal tubes and tubs and vats and jars

that go into the landfill, and the pollutants from the manufacturing

processes of both container and contents.

Cheers,

Jeanmarie

On Jul 20, 2009, at 9:21 AM, Cray Fish wrote:

>

> How do you go swimming with a visor on? Plus it doesn't protect your

> whole face. Some people are okay with lines and some people aren't,

> like everything else in life. Do you say to people who fly on a

> plane, " if it's worth it to you to breathe in that toxic air and

> walk through the xray machine and be exposed to flourescent lights,

> then by all means do what you feel you need to do. " It's just odd to

> be concerned so much over one thing when there are a million things

> out there to make us sick. I just find that strangely fascinating..

>

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