Now that the summer sun is out, Senator Chuck Schumer is calling for the FDA to print warnings on sunscreen labels that a certain chemical may actually spread skin cancer. According to studies from the National Center for Toxicological Research and the National Toxicology Program, retinyl palmitate (a vitamin A derivative) added to many sunscreens sped up the growth of skin tumors on lab animals.
The report said, "In that yearlong study, tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in a vitamin A-laced cream than animals treated with a vitamin-free cream." The common additive oxybenzone was also found to be hormone-disrupting. The FDA has yet to issue any guidelines, even though just 39 of the 500 products tested were found to be safe and effective.
Schumer said in a statement, "Millions of Americans use sunscreen to keep themselves and their families protected from the dangers of too much sun. If the product they are using is doing more harm than good, they have a right to know." Researchers at the Environmental Working Group are also baffled as to why the FDA didn't issue regulations sooner, as the study was finished last July. Jane Houlihan, EWG's senior vice president for research, said, "There was enough evidence 10 years ago for FDA to caution consumers against the use of vitamin A in sunscreens. FDA launched this one-year study, completed their research and now 10 years later, they say nothing about it, just silence."
There is currently no sunscreen in the U.S. that completely blocks UV rays, and the FDA is also worried that SPF numbers are misleading. In 2007, the FDA published proposed regulations that would keep manufacturers from labeling sunscreens higher than SPF 50, which has been widely ignored. The new report says those numbers are usually meaningless, since most people don't use the recommended amount, or equate a higher SPF with the ability to stay in the sun longer without reapplication. Happy summer, guys!
