07.05.08
Safe and Effective Sunscreens Hard to Come By
Link to CNN story on safe sunscreens http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/01/sunscreen.study/?iref=mpstoryview
link to
Comment by Sonya Lunder, senior analyst, EWG
As CNN reported, sunscreens over promise and under-deliver. At Environmental Working Group, we analyzed product efficacy and possible health hazards for over 900 commercial sunscreens. We found that 85% of available products don’t measure up: they either fail to block the full range of UV rays or they contain ingredients linked to health hazards. Only 1 of the 144 products from market leaders Coppertone, Banana Boat and Neutrogena is recommended by EWG.
Why is this the case? For starters, FDA has not finalized the comprehensive safety standards for sunscreen they began drafting 30 years ago. Instead, they have delayed many times at the request of the sunscreen industry.
In the absence of a final rule, FDA requests that sunscreen companies comply with their draft guidance. Our analysis suggests that this voluntary system leaves consumers with products that do not meet the claims that are printed on the label, including more than 1 in 10 products marketed as “broad spectrum” that aren’t, and 40% of products that make claims FDA considers misleading, like “all day” or “instant” protection.
In the absence of standards, we publish ratings for nearly 1,000 sunscreens to help consumers find products that provide broad spectrum and contain few if any ingredients with significant safety concerns at
How to Choose Sunscreen
• The active ingredient is at least 7% zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, not oxybenzone or benzophenone-3.
• Opt for a formula that doesn’t contain bug repellent. Ingredients in sunscreen can make more of the pesticide absorb into the skin.
• Avoid spray-on or powder forms, because those forms are too easy to inhale, which creates further potential hazards.
• Also note that fewer than 5% of 100+ products from market leaders Coppertone, Neutrogena and Banana Boat are recommended by EWG.
Barry J Barclay Ph D said,
July 8, 2008 at 8:13 am
I have an interest in safer sunscreens both as a biomedical research scientist and as a father. As a scientist I am appalled that there are insufficient regulations in place governing sunscreen ingredients that has permitted the widespread use of unsafe suncare products for many years. It is clear from the recent EWG studies and previous scientific reports that many additives to sunscreen products pose a significant threat to public health, especially to children -so how has this alarming situation come about? I know that FDA has been slow to act is part ofthe answer but why haven’t FTC regulations governing truth in advertising come into effect here? As a father, I feel deceived by major corporations who have launched unsafe products into the marketplace and then apparently used false information to sell them. Consumers have a right to know t that sunscreens are both safe and effective, especially for children as there is strong scientific evidence that early childhood sunburn is a major risk factor for skin cancer later in life. It is apparent that several major suncare companies have breached the trust that consumers have placed in them. They should be held accountable.
Administrator said,
July 8, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hi Barry–thank you for your comment. As a parent and a grandmother I share your concern about the lack of regulation. Many of the sunscreens on the market claim they are safe for children, even babies, when they patently are not. It’s a real dilemma, trying to figure out how to prevent childhood sunburn without perhaps creating other problems. For example, some studies suggest oxybenzone–a major ingredient in kid’s Banana Boat– is a hormone disrupter. So the parent who tries to protect the child against sunburn may unknowingly be introducing other risks.
I would like to see EWG re-enter the fray with respect to nanotechnology as well. It took years of children being exposed to oxybenzone before the word came out that there might be a problem–how many years of exposure to micronized titanium dioxide is it going to take before someone notices a problem? I am not saying there is one necessarily, but until we know one way or the other it seems the better part of wisdom to use the precautionary principle. Especially when it involves kids–let’s not use them as guinea pigs.