Sunscreens Not As Safe As Advertised
In recent years we've come to understand the dangers posed by too much sun. That's why the first thing most of us do when we get to the golf course or the beach is load up on sunscreen.
But CBS News correspondent Trish Regan reports that sunscreens may be promising more than they can deliver, especially when it comes to protecting you from all of the sun's harmful rays.
"Most of the sunscreen formulations you find out on the market really protect for UV-B radiation," said Urvashi Rangan of Consumers Union.
Ultraviolet B radiation causes sunburn, but UV-A rays penetrate deeper into the skin, lowering our resistance to skin cancers and causing skin to age.
The SPF number, or sun protection factor, on sunscreens refers only to UV-B protection. The FDA has no standards for measuring how well a sunscreen blocks UV-A rays.
Products often claim to block both kinds of rays, but Rangan, an environmental health scientist, says that's misleading.
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A bottle of sunscreen may list an SPF factor of 30 and UV-A/UV-B protection, but "the SPF factor is actually only addressing how protective it is against UV-B," Rangan said. "Don't assume that the numbers you're reading for UV-B protection, like SPF, have anything to do with the UV-A protection."
Critics also say promises like "waterproof," "sweatproof" and "all-day protection" are nothing but marketing.
"Sunscreen labels right now give people a false set of security," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says. "They seem to do more than they actually do."
Blumenthal is demanding that the FDA update its regulations on sunscreen labels.
"What we want the FDA to do is force the sunscreen makers to tell the truth, fully and accurately, of the limits of their products rather than over-claiming what protection they offer," he says.
The FDA tells CBS News it is working on standards for UV-A protection and other labeling changes. It recently approved Anthelios SX, a compound designed to block UV-A protection that was previously available only in Europe.
Still, doctors say, the best protection of all is staying in the shade.