As summer approaches, sunscreen has become a must-have for daily travel, and sunscreen spray is favored by consumers because of its convenience and ease of use. However, some people have pneumonia because of the sunscreen spray, and some sunscreen sprays have directly become flamethrowers. What's going on?
Source: Kale Pictures Photography/Ning Ying
Not long ago, a young man came to the emergency department of the Third Hospital of Changsha City, and he came to the hospital with breathing difficulties and coughing. Multidimensional CT scan revealed that the patient's lungs showed large symmetrical white ground-glass opacities, commonly known as white lung.
It turned out that the guy sprayed sunscreen spray on his face because of the weather, accidentally inhaled, and then developed symptoms such as chest tightness and cough. The doctor said that it was almost certain that the lungs had an allergic reaction after inhaling the sunscreen spray, which caused pulmonary edema lesions, which led to acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
What is white lung, and can acute functional pneumonia go away?
White lung generally refers to the manifestation of severe pneumonia on X-ray or CT examination, and the patient's lungs appear in a large white state. Patients often have dyspnea, respiratory failure, and in severe cases, other organ dysfunction.
It is common in people who are elderly (over 65 years old), have low immunity, have a history of chronic diseases of vital organs (such as heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.), and have multiple diseases (such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, renal insufficiency) and other people.
Source: CCTV News
In addition to infection, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndrome and other common causes of white lung, inhalation of harmful substances such as dust, spray, etc., can also lead to a wide range of white lesions in the lungs.
According to the doctor, acute functional pneumonia is like skin allergies, it may be itchy and painful, but it will disappear after a while, and the same is true for lung allergies, but if the inhalation amount is not very large, the allergic reaction is not very serious, and it will disappear quickly.
Holding your breath also doesn't prevent aerosols from being inhaled into your lungs
Sunscreen spray cannot be sprayed directly on the face, and it is easy to inhale chemical ingredients and cause damage to the body. When you spray sunscreen spray, a layer of aerosol is formed. These suspended solids, which contain liquid or solid particles, contain a large amount of chemical components, and are easily inhaled into the respiratory tract and digestive tract through the human nasal cavity and oral cavity.
According to the doctor, the atomized tiny particles in the sunscreen spray float around the user, even if they hold their breath when spraying, the suspended particles filled with the environment will not settle and dissipate quickly in a short period of time, and they may still be inhaled without the user knowing.
Long-term improper use of sunscreen spray can lead to lung damage
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is divided into three course states: acute, subacute, and chronic. If you seem to hold your breath every day when you apply sunscreen spray to your face every day during a summer or longer period, but the particles in the environment that do not dissipate immediately are inhaled without knowing it, it is a long-term chronic exposure history, and the damage to the lungs is a subacute course.
If this process is more than half a year, it can be determined as a chronic course of the disease, and there may be no cough or discomfort symptoms in this process, so there is no early warning, and it is difficult to attract the attention of patients, which will cause irreversible damage to the lungs.
Sunscreen spray turns into a flamethrower, beware of the risk of "ignition".
Accidents caused by improper use of sunscreen spray are not uncommon. In August 2022, a father in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, sprayed his child with sunscreen spray before going out, but he didn't notice that the child was playing with a lighter.
Firefighters have shown how a sunscreen spray burns: first pick up a sunscreen spray and spray it in the air, then hit the igniter, and when an open flame approaches, it immediately burns.
Source: CCTV News
The firefighters found a chicken leg to simulate human skin, sprayed sunscreen spray on it, stood still for 5 seconds, and then took out the igniter and lit it. At this time, the chicken leg suddenly caught fire, accompanied by a sizzling sound.
Doctors recommend that if you want to use sunscreen spray, it is best to use it in a well-ventilated area. Because the propellant of some sunscreen sprays contains flammable ingredients such as methane, propane, and isobutane, it is very likely to catch fire when using an open flame, so when using sunscreen spray, you should also pay attention to whether there is a fire source around you.
How should I use the sunscreen spray correctly?
Try to choose an appliable sunscreen, squeeze the sunscreen on the palm of your hand and apply it evenly with your fingers to exposed areas such as the face, neck and limbs to ensure that the sunscreen only covers the surface of the skin and does not enter the respiratory tract to avoid the risk of inhalation.
If you use a sunscreen spray, choose a product that is gentle, non-irritating and suitable for your skin type. If you are intolerant to alcohol, do not use sunscreen sprays that contain alcohol.
Due to different skin types, a small amount of sunscreen spray can be applied to the back of the ears, the inside of the elbow joint and other parts for skin test before the first use, and keep it for 24~72 hours to confirm that there is no discomfort before use.
When using sunscreen spray, spray mainly on the body area, and keep a distance of at least 15~20 cm from the skin when using it. For use on the face and neck, spray on your hands first, then apply evenly with your hands. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with water and discontinue use if unwell.
Do not use sunscreen spray on abnormal areas such as skin wounds, redness, swelling or eczema.
Do not spray continuously on the same body part at close range (such as within 10 cm) for more than 3 seconds, the propellant in the sunscreen spray will quickly volatilize and absorb heat after spraying, and prolonged or close use may cause frostbite to the skin.
Do not use in the bathroom, car and other small closed and unventilated spaces, pay attention to ventilation when spraying, close the mouth and nose tightly when using, do not deliberately inhale, and avoid inhaling a large amount of spray.
It should be kept out of the reach of children, and children should use sunscreen spray under adult supervision. It is advisable to choose sunscreen products with a gentle formula and a children's cosmetics logo "Little Golden Shield" for children.
Sunscreen sprays usually contain flammable substances, so store them in a cool, dry and ventilated environment away from direct sunlight. When using, it should be kept away from fire, heat and static electricity, and should not hit the product, and should not pierce or throw the product or the used empty can into the fire.
(Perspective News Comprehensive CCTV News, People's Daily, Xiaoxiang Morning News, Yangtze Evening News, Cover News Report)
Editor: Liu Songling
Proofreader: Li Xuying
Review: Gong Zimo