Sunscreen

Summer is nearly over and so the FDA announces new proposals on sunscreens. I am sure they must have read my recent posting . . .

The new regulations (if agreed to) will require labeling for both UVA & UVB. The Wall Street Journal has a really nice blog that mentions the new proposals and describes UVA, UVB & UVC.

A quick search of the literature brings up many hits including this from the Aug 11th issue of the Lancet - Photoprotection, Aug 11;370(9586):528-37.

We are advised to wear protective clothing (hats, shirts etc) in addition to sunscreen, and not to view sunscreen as a means to enabling us to stay longer in the sun. In addition sunscreen should be applied liberally and often!
A note of caution though, sunscreen may well aid the body in protection against UVB but it has not been "clearly proven to further protect against skin cancer".

On a personal note, be very careful to apply the sunscreen everywhere. Last weekend we went to the beach in Long Island - and I have a sunburn in two places where (somehow) I managed to miss with the regular doses of sunscreen.

Wear Sunscreen

Over the weekend my wife and I went to Coney Island - which classes as doing nothing. I think I was wise to use plenty of sunscreen while sitting on the beach, but just before you get too complacent I did find an online database of over 700 sunscreens, their ingredients and some toxicity information.

There is on-going debate in the community with regard to the safety or not of nano-particles and certainly on of their uses is in sunscreens, though this has to be weighed with the individuals exposure. so essentially the jury is still out! There is an interesting paper in Environmental Health Perspectives from 2005 on nanotox.