The mayor's office today announced the city is installing sunscreen dispensers at Millennium Park in West Roxbury; Jamaica Pond; Boston Common; Christopher Columbus Park in the North End and East Boston Stadium and Memorial Park.
The dispensers, first proposed by City Councilor Matt O'Malley (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury), make Boston "the first major city in the Northeast" to offer free sun protection to residents and visitors. The city Parks and Recreation Department teamed up with the Melanoma Foundation of New England and Make Big Change to install the dispensers.
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Comments
Physical or Chemical sunscreen?
By Nancy
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 5:07pm
I have an extreme sensitivity to chemical sunscreen and get an embarrassing and painful rosacea flareup from it. I hope the sunscreen dispensers have ingredients listed on them so I know if I can use it or not.
While I agree ingredients should be listed,
By ladycommentariat
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 6:51pm
I'd hope you'd opt out if it's not posted seeing as you know you're sensitive to certain types?
naw
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 7:33pm
hahaha yeah right, and miss out on a chance to sue the city?
Even if it had physical sunscreen I wouldn't use it
By Nancy
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 1:41pm
I always carry my own sunscreen because I've already had a couple of bad moles removed and don't want the big M (melanoma).
What is a physical sunscreen?
By Ron Newman
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 10:01pm
Do you mean a hat or parasol?
I think...
By lbb
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 10:19pm
...it might refer to zinc oxide, which just simply blocks the sun, not chemically, but by covering the skin with something opaque.
Same as "organic" vs "inorganic"
By Kaz
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 11:07pm
Organic/chemical sunscreen (NB - everything is chemicals and this sunscreen isn't free-range) uses oxybenzone which absorbs into the skin and then uses it's carbon chemical structure to suck up the UV rays instead of your DNA.
Inorganic/physical sunscreen contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and lays on top of your skin and uses the metal structure to absorb the UV rays instead of letting it reach your skin.
And just to answer the original question, O'Malley was originally touting organic sunscreen in the dispensers when this was first raised, so I'd expect it to have oxybenzone (most people aren't going to want to use a physical sunscreen from a random dispenser in the park and the idea is to get people to adopt better sunscreen habits overall).
Physicsal sunscreen provides
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:28am
Physicsal sunscreen provides a broader protection of uva / uvb spectrum than chemical sunscreen. Also, chemical sunscreen contains ingredients that can mess with your hormones. This was explained to me by my dermatologist. Apologies for not articulately explaining it, but google and I'm sure you'll find info online.
You can google how the moon landing is fake too
By Kaz
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 12:57pm
The evidence that oxybenzone "messes with your hormones" was in limited studies at much higher doses than you would ever expose yourself to internally with just normal usage. Using their levels, you'd have to wear oxybenzone sunscreen at a high concentration for over 40 years daily on your entire skin before you'd build up enough residual oxybenzone in your system to reach the same levels necessary in the tissues where the study was done.
Credible sources online
By sth
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 1:23pm
The Globe article stated that
By Rob Not Verified
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:32am
The Globe article stated that ingredients will be listed.
Fill'er up
By FranklinRider
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 5:47pm
Let's see how long it takes for the Parks Department to refill these dispensers once the initial supply is used up. Judging by how often they refill their soap dispensers, I'm guessing they get about a half days worth of use before they sit empty for the rest of the summer.
sunscreen
By debra Castaldi
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:38pm
Sunscreen is gross. Total chemical to be absorbed by your skin into your body. And the city is paying for it?, why? Individuals can't purchase it for themselve's or have the responsibility to cover up? This is brought to us by a fair skinned redhead who has obviously nothing better to do.
bleh
By cybah
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:48pm
Gross. Can't wait for some nice sun-baked sunscreen from a caked up dispenser.
And why can't I get the phrase 'personal lubricant' out of my head now when I think of these dispensers?
because
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:27pm
you are weird
well
By cybah
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:35pm
duh! I think this has been well established on here :-)
well
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:49pm
this would be the first thing i've noticed you say that qualifies as such, though i'll be the first to admit that the guy from arlington is the only one that stands out to me all that much here
Six?
By Ron Newman
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:49pm
You only listed five (since East Boston Stadium and Memorial Park are the same place)
You're right, fixed
By adamg
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 9:43am
Never let me near the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
Sunscreen dispenser
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 10:04pm
Seems to me if the city is so concerned they would put one in Moakley Park (South Boston ) across from Carson Beach.
Sunscreen takes 20 minutes to work
By Keiko
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 11:59pm
Which is why you're supposed to put it on 20 minutes before going outside. If you're in the sun during those 20 minutes, you can get quite a burn.
Since the city will be paying for these and refilling these (ha!), can they also install doggie waste bags and keep those filled?
...and Sam Yoon never got his
By bulgingbuick
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:20am
rubber sidewalks. Ginger politics.
Well, there's a reason for that ...
By adamg
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:24am
Yoon never proposed rubber sidewalks. You're thinking of Rob Consalvo, who, in recompense, at least got a job with the current administration (as opposed to Yoon, who was basically run out of town on a rail by the previous administration).
I know it's not a real source like the National Enquirer but:
By bulgingbuick
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:25am
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_pol...’s_council_record_thin
Well, I stand corrected!
By adamg
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 10:32am
My apologies; I did not realize Yoon had beaten Consalvo in caving to Big Rubber Sidewalk.
Good idea
By Rob Not Verified
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:33am
This is smart to roll it out in a couple spots to see how much the sunscreen is used. Also glad to see the partnership so the city isn't paying for it. Well done, Councilor O'Malley.
Matt should wear a hat
By anon
Sun, 06/28/2015 - 12:07am
It is very effective and less messy. Doesn't involve the city at all.
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