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Senator urges release of sunscreen chemical data
Senator Charles Schumer speaks at the NAACP's Centennial Convention, in New York, July 12, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Chip East
NEW YORK |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senator on Sunday called on the FDA to reveal findings on a possible link between a chemical found in most sunscreens and skin cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing data from several studies on a potential link between retinyl palmitate (RP), a common sunscreen additive and cases of skin cancer, since July 2009, but has yet to issue any rulings or guidelines, Senator Charles Schumer said.
"With the recent reports suggesting a possible link between skin cancer and a common chemical found in sunscreens, the FDA must act now to protect consumers," Schumer said at a news conference and in a later statement.
"Summer is here, people are soaking up the sun and the FDA needs to immediately provide guidance and reassurance to consumers," the New York Democrat added.
The FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have conducted studies that suggest a possible link between skin cancer and retinyl palmitate, Schumer said in calling for the FDA to provide its evaluation of the data and recommendations immediately.
He also pressed the agency for a time line for new sunscreen regulations.
Retinyl palmitate, a vitamin A derivative, is found in hundreds of the most popular sunscreen products.
One study found that tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate-laced cream than animals treated with a cream that did not contain RP, Schumer's office said.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud, Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Yea, that’s what Congress needs to put its focus on, with 16 million unemployed Americans out there
As a resident of the state with the highest taxes in the nation AND one of the largest budget deficits AND the flight of our businesses and young people trying to “Escape from New York”, I’m so glad our TV camera grabbing Senator is willing to take on CopperTone. We are so blessed!
I just wish he was up for reelection in November this year. Instead, we will have to wait a bit longer to send him to the beach for an extended stay in the sunshine.
Apparently the senator is too busy to try Google. Said data is already freely available (TR-568: All-trans-retinyl palmitate) and the peer-reviewed report is expected around October.
The NTP Center for Phototoxicology also found some credible evidence (TR-553: Photocarcinogenesis Study of Aloe Vera) that creams made from aloe vera or extracts led to more tumors among the hairless mice engaged in simulated sunbathing.
Let the scientists finish their work before you start panicking (or legislating).
Perhaps rather then undermine the senator, you might wish to err on the side of caution and understand that we MUST rely on our Government to protect us from just such products.
If there is something used daily and liberally by people and their children that is harmful, it should be a priority.
The preliminary data shows that All-trans-retinyl palmitate may cause or exacerbate tumors. That is a very good reason to bring the timeline forward and perhaps warn the pubic and not wait until October when the damage from summer is done.
It seems you are not aware that it can take years from initial studies to making recommendations and this senator seems wise to be pushing that process forward.
You might think this is a joke, considering the high unemployment rate, but cancer is no joke to the person who has it.
At the request of my son’s Elementary School teacher, I put suncreen on my son for Field Day, because the kids were to be outside all day.
The result was that my son ended up with welts and nasty rashes that required daily treatment.
I actually thought that my son would be scarred for life. Luckily, the treatments helped a lot.
We only used the sunscreen onetime and had this nasty reaction. If I hadn’t figured out very quickly that this was the cause, my son would have continued to suffer needlessly.
As a matter of fact, I contacted the company and told them about the problem and I was completely ignored.
That’s when I go mad and posted my son’s experience on a blog, so that other people would stay away from this product.
You can listen to my son explain his experience at BadProduct.net
@hsvkitty
I agree that the NTP should absolutely be evaluating these commonly used substances.
I’m simply saying that though this research has been going on for the last ten years, I don’t see any indication that the NTP is giving this any less than their best work. They’ve even scheduled a subcommittee hearing for just a few months after their first official peer-reviewed paper.
In the meantime, anyone can read the journal articles calling for further study and the draft report of the results, and anyone can see some good reasons to stick to sun protection from clothing and non-absorbed minerals like titanium dioxide.
Maybe these investigations and publications would have proceeded faster if the federal budget had ensured that NTP would a few more million dollars from the NIEHS, but it’s a bit late to be complaining now.
There are going to be a hellava lot more people out in the sun every day for years and years cleaning up the mess from BP just
because THEY CUT CORNERS AND STEPS in order
to save their costs! Now is the TIME if ever to see if the FDA will DO THEIR JOB and come forth for the GENERAL POPULATION WITH AN UNBIASED ANSWER TO THESE CHEMICALS
and make it AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, NOT ONLINE ONLY. How many people died because of side effects from THE MONEY HUNGRY PHARMS. in regards to CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS? (The FDA is a bad joke)
