New Study: How Safe Is Wearing Sunscreen?

ABC 7 CA, Lyanne Melendez
Published June 18, 2007

Jun. 19 - You may need to take a second look at your sun screen to see if it's on a new list of products, just tested, that don't do what they promise. A watchdog group says most of the 785 sunscreens they looked at, do not offer enough protection from the sun's harmful rays. Even when it's overcast, these kids apply plenty of sunscreen. Liz Mead, Parent: "I look for at least 30 or 45 I know that once you get past something 20, 30 it doesn't mean much but it makes me feel better." But is that enough protection from the sun's harmful rays? An analysis done by the environmental working group found most kids aren't adequately protected. Sonya Lunder, The Environmental Working Group: "In our analysis of 700 sunscreens we found that some products don't contain chemicals that really are known to protect from UVA damage." UVA rays are linked to skin aging, wrinkling and potentially cancer. UVB rays are responsible for sunburns. The number 45 is the degree of protection. But the group found the chemicals in many popular brands that claim to offer UVA protection actually begin breaking down when exposed to the sun. Sonya Lunder, The Environmental Working Group: "They may break down to other chemicals with unknown health effects. They may just lose their UV blocking capability." The environmental working group is a public watchdog group specializing in environmental investigations. They recommend buying sunscreens with zinc and titanium -- these chemicals offer maximum UVA protection. Dr. Vic Narurkar is a dermatologist. He says more studies on sunscreens are needed. Dr. Vic Narurkar: "You can have a lot of over-the-counter products that can make claims, so you can imagine the number of sunscreens that are out there so it would be nice to get more control studies that truly demonstrate is it important to have photo stability of UVA." Dermatologists also recommend looking for sunscreens with two other chemicals agents just introduced in this country, helioplex and mexoryl. Meanwhile, the sunscreen industry remains pretty much unregulated because the FDA has never set comprehensive standards for sunscreen and cosmetics.