The Sunscreen Brain Scare

Sunscreen could be linked to brain diseases such as dementia, scientists fear.

Two researchers are to launch a three-year study to determine whether engineered nanoparticles in sun cream pose a risk to the people who use it.

The University of Ulster team are part of a worldwide project examining whether nanoparticles can induce diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Professor Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist and toxicologist, and Dr. Christian Holster, an Alzheimer's expert, have been awarded pounds 350,000 funding from the EU for their work.

Professor Howard said: "There is now firm evidence some engineered nanoparticles entering intravenously or via lungs can reach the brains of small animals.

"They lodge in almost all parts of the brain and there are no efficient clearance mechanisms to remove them."

He added: "It has recently been discovered nanoparticles can have significant impacts on key proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease."

Howard added: "The risk that engineered nanoparticles could introduce unforeseen hazards to human health is a matter of growing concern."

The Alzheimer's Research Trust cautioned people about stopping using sunscreen .

The Trust's Dr. Simon Ridley, said: "The exact causes of Alzheimer's are unknown. It's likely that both genetic and environmental factors are involved."