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Schumer seeking new sunscreen regulations
BY SARA FOSS Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Sara Foss at 395-3193 or sfoss@dailygazette. net.

    Armed with research suggesting that there’s a link between a chemical found in most sunscreens and skin cancer, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review the data and announce a timeline for new sunscreen regulations.
    The chemical in question is retinyl palmitate, a form of Vitamin A used in most of the 500 most popular sunscreen products.
    Studies from the National Center for Toxicological Research and the National Toxicology Program have shown that tumors and lesions develop up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate cream than animals coated with a cream that did not contain retinyl palmitate.
    Though this research was completed in July 2009, the FDA has yet to issue a final assessment or guidance on the data, according to Schumer’s offi ce.
    “Summer is here, people are soaking up the sun and the FDA needs to immediately provide guidance and reassurance to consumers,” Schumer said, in a statement. “When it comes to the health and safety of the public, there is no room for delay.”
    Schumer’s announcement comes at a time when anxiety over chemicals in the environment is mounting, with environmentalists and doctors suggesting that a wide range of chemicals are more harmful than people realize.
    Common chemicals receiving the most attention include Bisphenol A, known as BPA, which is used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic and is found in goggles, helmets and baby bottles, among other things.
    In May, the President’s Cancer Panel issued a report on the rising number of cancer-causing agents released into the environment, and called for increased regulation and education.
    Alex Formuzis, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.,-based Environmental Working Group, said that the sunscreen industry should be forced to substantiate its claims that sunscreen is safe and effective. The research on the rats, he said, shows that retinyl palmitate, when applied to the skin, increase the risk of skin cancer. .............>>>>...................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01201&AppName=1