The so-called cause of “white lung” is mostly “allergic pneumonia”, not clinically defined as “inhalation pneumonia”. The incidence of anaphylactic pneumonia is closely related to the individual’s immune status, but not to the amount of spray inhaled.
As the weather turns hot, sunscreen products have become a must for many people to go out, including some sunscreen sprays. Recently, the discussion about “white lung” caused by improper use of sunscreen spray spread on the Internet.
The Harbin Emergency Management platform recently published an article stating that a patient at a hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province recently sought medical attention due to difficulty breathing and coughing. CT images showed severe “white lung” in both lungs. After careful inquiry, the doctor diagnosed that the patient suffered from acute allergic pneumonia and pulmonary edema due to spraying sunscreen spray on the face and inhalation.
In this regard, the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University wrote a popular science article on May 11 to dispel panic. The article said: “Careless inhalation of sunscreen spray may indeed lead to inhalation pneumonia, but for most healthy people, it is unlikely.”
The respiratory physician of Zhongshan Hospital believed that in the process of daily use of sunscreen spray, the amount of each inhalation was small, and the so-called “white lung” was mostly “allergic pneumonia”, not “inhalation pneumonia” in clinical sense. The incidence of anaphylactic pneumonia is closely related to the individual’s immune status, but not to the amount of spray inhaled.
Allergic pneumonia is divided into three stages: acute, subacute, and chronic. It is mainly caused by exposure to certain triggering substances (pathogens, dust, compounds, etc.) that activate the human immune system, leading to immune inflammation. Patients may experience clinical symptoms such as fever, cough, sputum production, and cyanosis. Mild symptoms can improve within a few hours, while severe cases require hospitalization and generally have a good prognosis.
However, the experts emphasized that if the chemical components in sunscreen spray and some dry hair spray are inhaled by the human body, they will have a certain impact on the body, especially when exposed to large doses for a long time, there is indeed the possibility of harm. Even if there is no cough or maladjustment, it may also cause irreversible damage to the lungs.
This is because the main chemical components of sunscreen spray and dry hair spray include alcohol, volatile silicone oil, hydrocarbon, etc. in addition to water. Although these chemical components do not have toxic effects on humans during normal use, they may irritate the respiratory tract, causing dry and itchy throat. Sensitive individuals may also experience symptoms such as coughing and sputum production.
In addition, some sunscreen spray on the market can also contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and other ingredients, which mainly play the role of physical shielding ultraviolet rays in sunscreen spray. Their particles are very small, but their harm to human health is not clear at present.
Other spray will add petroleum extracts as propellants during production, mainly because of their low boiling point and uniform fogging effect, which will vaporize rapidly after contacting human body. However, if the purification of petroleum extracts is not sufficient during production, there may be residual carcinogens, and long-term exposure to high doses is definitely a health risk. Long term contact with individuals with allergic constitution may lead to skin allergy symptoms such as contact dermatitis and rash; Long term inhalation can also cause allergic pneumonia, asthma attacks, and other airway diseases.
In view of these potential health risks, doctors recommend that when using sunscreen spray, it should be kept at least 15 cm to 20 cm away from the skin, and not too close or spray on one part for a long time to reduce inhalation and exposure; Attention should also be paid to the principle of moderation. When spraying, try to cover the mouth and nose as much as possible. If you need to spray on the face, you can first spray on the palm of your hand, and then apply evenly on the face; Especially do not use in narrow enclosed spaces such as bathrooms or cars. When spraying, pay attention to ventilation, close your mouth and nose tightly, and do not inhale in large amounts to avoid inhalation.