We live on the sunny side of the street here in OC, getting about 300 days of sunshine per year, and we need to protect our skin.
And that should be getting easier soon, as the warnings on sunscreen will be getting more informative, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
New rules will mandate labeling sunscreens with more information about UVA protection, a type of ultraviolet radiation that causes damage to our skin. Current labeling only includes SPF values, which tell how much protection it has against UVB rays.
Both types of UV rays can cause different types of skin cancer, including melanoma. (Guide to sunscreens.)
These new rules were proposed in August of 2007, but have not been implemented yet. The old rules have been in place since 1999.
But until these new rules are passed we’re still partially unprotected, according to Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut. Along with Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, he’s introduced Sunscreen Labeling Protection Act of 2008, which would force the FDA to implement the new rules with 120 days.
“The FDA’s current standards for sunscreen testing and labeling leave Americans with a false sense of security about whether their sunscreen protects them from harmful UVA rays. While the FDA has proposed to improve their testing and labeling rules, they have done nothing to make those rules final and enforceable,” Dodd said in his introduction to the bill.
The FDA is currently working on writing these final rules, said spokesperson Rita Chappelle.
“We are working as expeditiously as possible for the public,” said Chappelle.
Under current FDA rules, sunscreen companies only have to label the Sun Protection Factor, or SPF, which deals with how much protection we get from UVB rays. These are one type of ultraviolet ray that’s mainly responsible for sunburn, according to the FDA website.
But there’s another kind of harmful light that comes from the sun, called UVA radiation, which penetrates much deeper into the skin. These rays are generally responsible for tanning.
Both UVA and UVB contribute to skin cancer and premature aging. But right now, the only required labeling on sunscreen has to do with protection against UVB.
“Many sunscreen products carry claims that they protect against cancer-causing UVA rays, but without FDA action to set standards for testing and labeling, these claims can’t be validated,” said Dodd, in the bill introduction.
Dodd went on to say that that it’s estimated there will be more than 1 million new cases of skin cancers and 62,480 new cases of in 2008, and as many as 8,420 people will die from melanoma this year.
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