Schumer: 2M People Will Get Skin Cancer This Year, But FDA Still Hasn't Approved Vastly Superior, Life Saving Sunscreen That Is Used in Almost Every Other Country - Been Studying It for Almost a Decade

Press Release

With an expected 2 million Americans to be diagnosed with skin cancer this year alone, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite their testing of ultra effective sunscreen that better protects from sunburn and skin cancer. The FDA has been reviewing some of these ingredients for over a decade, and the superior sunscreens are available in almost every other country in the world. Schumer today wrote to the Commissioner of the FDA to express his concern and pushed them to make a final decision before beach season begins in earnest. He also pushed the FDA to further study the protective qualities of aerosol-based sunscreens, which have been increasing in popularity but may not provide as much protection as traditional sunscreen. Researchers have suggested that some sunscreen with higher SPFs don't necessarily protect from harmful UVA and UVB rays more than lower SPFs as proportionally as their labeling suggests. The FDA has agreed to study and test sunscreens with SPFs over 50, as well as aerosols, but has delayed action. Schumer today is seeking answers for the delay.

"With beach season about to go into full swing, the FDA needs to make sure the best possible sunscreen products are available," said Schumer. "They've been studying many of these chemicals for over a decade, and it's high time that the FDA finally make a decision so that Americans can use these life saving products, or are given a good reason why they can't."

Schumer continued: "We can't leave consumers in the dark when it comes to aerosols or artificially-enhanced high SPF content sunscreens, because the bottom line is--if certain high SPF sunscreens and sprays don't protect you more from harmful UV rays, consumers need to know that. Beachgoers and vacationers deserve the peace of mind to know that the sunscreens on the shelves offer the strongest possible protections."

Schumer today asked the FDA to expedite their review and approval of new ingredients in sunscreen that could potentially increase their protective capability. These ingredients improve the efficacy of sunscreen by blocking a broader array of the sun's rays. The products sold in the U.S. are particularly hampered by the lack of so called "long range UVA filters" which block a broader range of the UVA rays that cause cancer, and for a longer time.

In the U.S., the main products used to block UVA rays are called benzophenones, and they work by absorbing the sun's rays. But these chemicals can cause problems such as allergic reactions and studies have found that it is absorbed and detected in the blood stream possibly affecting some hormone levels. It also only absorbs only a shorter form of UVA rays. They also breakdown quickly and reduce the efficacy of some of the chemicals that block UVB rays. Both types of rays -- UVA and UVB -- are known to cause skin cancer.

Schumer said the FDA plays an integral role in determining the safety of the chemicals sold in products in the United States and should continue its strong oversight. However, products containing these chemicals have been sold overseas for more than two decades. Specifically, applications for eight different ingredients have been filed through what is known as the "time and extent application" (TEA). This process allows products that have been sold overseas for at least five years and have been shown to be safe, to be sold in the U.S. These applications have been pending with the FDA for years, some for over a decade.

Schumer also expressed some concerns about the transparency of the labels on the sunscreens. He noted that consumers want the peace of mind to know that the sunscreens available for purchase meet all the FDA's enforceable standards and offer the strongest possible protection.

The FDA first looked into the deceptive practices of sunscreen products over thirty years ago, but since that time, the rate of melanoma has doubled in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, over two million individuals will be informed that they have a preventable form of skin cancer in this year alone. Schumer has been pushing the FDA to tighten its standards on labeling for years, helping to get new standards in place in 2011. Now, Schumer is joining his colleagues to urge the FDA to turn its focus to high SPF content sunscreens and aerosols, which may be inaccurately representing their protective qualities.

Aerosol-based sunscreen sprays have increased in popularity, but it remains untested if they protect from harmful rays as much as tradition sunscreens. Furthermore, researchers have found in some cases that a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 protected users from 97 percent of UVA/UVB rays and a sunscreen with an SPF of 100 protected users from 99 percent of rays. The different in protection was not indicative of the difference in SPF content, or more significantly, the difference in price. Schumer noted that improving consumer information should always be the focus, and in the case of sunscreen, standard SPF counts are not the final word.

Schumer also asked the FDA to expedite their review and approval of new ingredients in sunscreen that could potentially increase their protective capability. Schumer noted that consumers want the peace of mind to know that the sunscreens available for purchase meet all the FDA's enforceable standards and offer the strongest possible protection.

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