Sunscreen Questions

CBS 3 Georgia, Lindsay Field
Published July 17, 2007

Although critics have questioned the effectiveness of sunscreens for years, one Opelika resident continues to do her part to protect her four children from sunburn. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit group in Washington, D.C., discovered recently that many of the 786 name-brand sunscreen products on the market are not safe and effective. After an 18-month investigation, the group recommended 131 products, voiced caution about 618 products and noted that people should avoid 37 products. EWG revealed which sunscreens are best at preventing sunburn, skin aging, wrinkling and potentially cancer. With no mandatory, comprehensive sunscreen standards in place, products vary widely in safety and effectiveness. "I really don't stay on top of (checking studies) as well as I should, but I try to get what covers them," said Kathy Humphrey, the mother of four who are outside daily riding bikes, taking swim lessons or swimming at their grandparent's home. "My father has had some skin cancer removed and so has a 14-year-old cousin of ours, so I try to always put sunscreen on the kids," said Humphrey. According to the Skin Cancer Guide, skin cancers caused by UV exposure may be prevented by avoiding exposure to sunlight or other UV sources, wearing sun-protective clothes and using a broad-spectrum sun screen. "I try to reapply (50 SPF) every hour or so," Humphrey said, adding she thinks sprays work better for her children and stay on longer. It's been nearly three decades since the Food and Drug Administration proposed a system of labeling products with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF). In May 1999, the FDA finalized its regulations for over-the-counter sunscreen drug products; but according to EWG studies, one of every eight high-SPF sunscreens does not protect from UVA radiation. And according to The New York Times, the FDA could be just weeks away from issuing new regulations on sunscreens. The sun emits ultraviolet radiation in the UVA, UVB and UVC bands, but because of absorption in the atmosphere's ozone layer, 99 percent of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's surface is UVA, according to the World Health Organization. Prolonged exposure to solar UV radiation may result in acute and chronic health effects on the skin, eyes and immune system in humans. For more information, visit the FDA online or the EWG.