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Minnesota has been turning up the heat this week, and the sun's rays are nearly at their strongest this time of year. As a blond kid with fair skin, it was easy for me to end up with the kind of sunburn that makes your clothing hurt. Keeping my towheaded children protected from the sun this summer is very important, but so is keeping them safe from harmful chemicals found in sunscreen. Now parents can look up their brand of sunscreen and check out the toxicity of each lotion.

So where are the safe sunscreens to be found? Thanks to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there is now a list of safe sunscreens that have natural minerals, such as zinc and titanium as the active ingredients.

Among the top rated by the EWG is the Badger brand of sunscreen that was recommended to me by our family doctor. It protects from UVA and UVB rays and uses zinc oxide as the active ingredient. I found it at the local co-op. Now I won't have to worry about how to keep my kids safe from the sun this summer.