Here’s an Irony We Can All Appreciate: Sunscreen May Be Responsible for Rising Melanoma Rates
So now that I have melanoma, can I round up the tens of thousands of people who are diagnosed with this dangerous cancer every year in the U.S. and bring a class-action suit against the sunscreen manufacturers who mislead us?
After all, they claim that sunscreen protects against skin cancer. And that is just not true.
First, consider this—All sunscreens are not created equal: You need a sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet-A (UVA), which causes cancer and wrinkles, not just ultraviolet-B (UVB), which causes sunburn. Today’s SPF ratings measure UVB protection—not good enough.
Read:
Limit child’s exposure, despite improving sunscreens
If you want to compare sunscreens, here’s an article on a new database for comparing the safety of sunscreens (link included).
Remember when they used to call it sunTAN lotion? “Tan, don’t burn, get a Coppertone tan!” I even remember the tune!
Well, use of suntan lotion (now called sunscreen) has actually contributed to rising melanoma rates, according to Mother Jones magazine. The logic makes sense.
Read:
Mother Jones article on Sunscreen Scam
And the good news just keeps on coming! A chemical used in some sunscreens may INCREASE your risk of skin cancer:
Another story on same topic:
Do chemicals in sunscreens make them unsafe for kids?
And, finally, here is the unintentionally funny page on sunscreens from the National Institutes of Health, with an exact recipe for how much sunscreen to apply to each body part.
The government, however, hasn’t been keeping up with this hot topic: the page was last updated in 2002.
MedlinePlus page on Sunscreens
The research for this post was done by my favorite librarian, The Cheeky Librarian, who always covers up in the sun.
@ Jeanne Sather 2007.
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