Consumers will soon have a way to know how well a sunscreen protects them from skin cancer and wrinkles, not just sunburns.
In a long-anticipated announcement, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that new rules — set to take effect by no later than next summer — will allow sunscreens to claim “broad spectrum” protection against both forms of ultraviolet radiation, called UVA, which causes wrinkles, and UVB, which causes burns. Both forms of radiation can cause skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Consumer advocates praised the rule, four years in the making, saying that the new labels will be less confusing than current labels and will help people make more informed choices.
Although sunscreens now tout their sunburn protection factor, or SPF, this system only measures protection against ultraviolet radiation B, or UVB, which can cause burns.
New sunscreen labels, which may begin appearing as soon as manufacturers can produce them, will allow products to claim “broad spectrum” protection only if they pass specific FDA tests for blocking UVA rays, and if they have an SPF value of at least 15, says Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation. This is the first standard for UVA.
Products that protect against UVA, but which don’t have an SPF of at least 15, will have to carry a warning, Woodcock says. Sunscreens also will have to carry a “drug facts” box that provides detailed information about what products do or don’t do.
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4 Responses
Here they go again, government telling us what we can buy, how we can buy it, mix out of our private life!
What is the SPF rating of a Borsalino?
To #1: Yes, this government is way too intrusive. But in this instance the only new regulation is only requiring a sunscreen to reveal how well it protects the skin against skin cancer in particular. You can still buy any brand you like, whether it provides effective protection, or is worthless. But for those who care, the full information will be available.
Kol Hakovod for this new rule.
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QUESTION: SO WHY DOES THE FDA NOT GET INVOLVED AND TRY TO PROTECT US FROM THESE POISONS???????
ANSWER: BIG BUSINESS! There are billions of dollars of profit in the food industry.
The FDA claims that there is nothing harmful in eating that portion in that particular food. but the problem is, the chemicals and poisons are found everywhere IN MANY FOOD ITEMS, and if we eat this-that-and the other thing, it adds up and becomes extremely harmful. SO, since the FDA has no control over the quantity that each person eats, it is complete legal to manufacture these poisons. Look at gum….. aspartame is one of the ingredients in sugarless gum. In very little print, you will see a formula that they give you to calculate as a warning not to consume over and above the calculated amount in accordance with your body weight. This is a big warning (but in very very small print).
What can we do? start to take charge of what goes into our mouth.
So why is the FDA pushing us to protect ourselves from the cancer causing rays of the sun……….VERY SIMPLE……… there is no company to shut down – THERE IS NO MONEY LOST….on the contrary, this will only increase business. FANTASTIC CONCEPT, NO????