26th Aug 09
Sunscreen use may lead to Alzheimer’s
by Paul Russell
Academics are currently investigating the possibility that sunscreen, used by tens of millions of holidaymakers every year, can induce Alzheimer’s disease.
Sun-worshippers are always being urged to use sunscreen to prevent burning and possible skin cancer, but two experts at the University of Ulster, in research substantially funded by the EU, are exploring the potential links between the use of sunscreen and the brain disease. The scientists are conducting groundbreaking research on the question of whether human-engineered nanoparticles, which are found in sunscreens, can induce neurodegenerative diseases – such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Professor Vyvyan Howard, who is a pathologist and toxicologist, and Dr Christian Holster, an Alzheimer’s expert, were awarded £350,000 by the EU for research on the topic.
The scientists are conducting their research as the Biomedical Sciences Institute in Coleraine, Co Londonderry. It is part of a global project known as NeuroNano. They have academic partners in the project at universities in Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh and Munich, and institutions in Japan and the US are also taking part.
Professor Howard said: “The overall science and technology objective of this programme is to determine if engineered nanoparticles could constitute a significant neuro-toxicological risk to humans for two diseases – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”
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