Experts Warn Idahoans To Remove This Item From Their Car Immediately

If your car is basically a garbage can on wheels, you’re not alone. “Let me clean off the front seat” is always your answer if a friend or co-worker asks for a ride somewhere. Inevitably, your backseat becomes a growing mountain of crumpled receipts, half-empty water bottles, spare shoes and who knows what else. 

That’s exactly what my backseat looks like and my husband mocks me for it. However, the joke’s usually on him. Because I rarely clean my car, I’m uniquely prepared for anything. From picnic blankets for concerts at the Idaho Center Amphitheater to extra gloves for Christmas parades in the winter, I’ve found a lot of things in my backseat that have come in clutch when I’ve needed them the most. 

READ MORE: Idaho Power Video Shows Scary Reason You Should Never Leave Water Bottles in the Car

If you live your life in a similar state of chaos, this is the time of the year when you might be thrilled to find an extra bottle of sunscreen laying on the floorboards in your backseat! Unfortunately, you may want to think twice about using it if its been sitting in your car all summer.

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According to the CDC, being exposed to high temperatures can reduce sunscreen’s shelf life. Dermatologist Joseph Chao, M.D. explains that the ingredients that are most essential to protecting you from the sun’s harmful rays can degrade when exposed to high temperatures. That’s why brands like Banana Boat warn to keep it out of heat and sunlight.

Not only can this lead to unpleasant sunburn, using sunscreen that’s weaker than you thought it was could increase your risk of skin cancer. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, Idaho ranks #6 for the highest incidence rate of melanoma in the country and recent trends show that the number of Idahoans diagnosed is rising. 

Additionally, if the sunscreen you have is in an aerosol can, you risk the can bursting in your vehicle. Best case scenario? That causes a big mess. Worst case scenario? The explosion breaks a window or injures someone inside the car. 

That’s why aerosol sunscreens have labels that say you should not store them in temperatures over 120º. It doesn’t take long on a sunny day for the car’s interior temperature to hit 120 degrees. According to the National Weather service, a vehicle with its windows closed will reach an interior temperature of 120 degrees in about 15 minutes on a 90 degree day.