While most recommendations from Will County Green urge you to conserve (energy, water, materials) this week we are recommending you be generous…at least when it comes to applying sunscreen. As you enjoy days outside and hours of sun exposure, remember to use sunscreen rated 15 SPF or above, liberally and reapply every couple of hours.
Sunscreen can protest you against skin cancer as well as painful burns. Everyone benefits, regardless of his or her melanin level, especially children and the elderly. The FDA is in the process of changing the labels on sunscreen to make them easier to understand. At the moment, anything with an SPF rating of less than 15 is not proven to reduce the occurrence of skin cancer and anything over 50 SPF is so marginally different, it isn’t worth it. In fact, the extremely high ratings tend to give people a false sense of security.
Speaking of a false sense of security – check the expiration date on any sunscreen product before using it. If it’s expired, replace it. Take the expired sunscreen and any expired or unwanted lotions to one of our Household Hazardous Waste collection events, the permanent HHW site or a Medication Take-Back partner. A one-day collection is scheduled for New Lenox in September. The New Lenox Police Department offers a Medication Take-Back Drop-Box 24/7 and other police and pharmacies participate as well (hours vary by location). More information is available at www.willcountygreen.com under the Event Calendar and under the Green Guide.
