“Skin is not plastic. Those sunscreens have all been well-tested in laboratories to make sure that they’re safe and that they’re effective.” — Dermatologist Dr. Rutledge Forney, as quoted by Atlanta’s WSBTV, which reported that a woman claimed a chemical sunscreen sprayed on the back of her Nook e-reader damaged the plastic casing.

A growing number of people are concerned that over-use of chemical sunscreen products exposes the skin to active ingredients that may interfere with the skin’s normal functions and may introduce the body to toxic chemicals. But Georgia resident Jodie Brookfield believes that chemicals in her sunscreen product damaged her Nook e-reader.

“I got my Nook out of its case and the whole back of it was melted,” Brookfield told Atlanta’s WSBTV Channel 2. The station reported, “’Brookfield said the chemicals in her spray sunscreen damaged her Nook e-reader. She said she used the spray on her vacation but later realized it ate away at the device, right where she picked it up.” The news report claimed the warning label on the sunscreen said it could damage some fabrics, materials or surfaces.

So what about dermatologist Forney’s explanation: The product may harm plastic, but is safe for your skin? The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) might take exception to that. EWG has led the call for more rigorous product safety testing for most sunscreen products.

Here is WSBTV’s story.

To read EWG’s sunscreen report click here.