Senator wants FDA action on sunscreen ingredient
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urges FDA to evaluate data and offer consumer guidance on retinyl palmitate. He referenced preclinical data from the National Center for Toxicological Research and the National Toxicology Program that suggest an association between skin cancer and the compound. The vitamin A compound is found in 41 percent of sunscreens, according to the Environmental Working Group, which questioned the ingredient's use in its recent state-of-the-market sunscreen report (1"The Tan Sheet" June 7, 2010). EWG claims research available for nearly a year shows tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent more rapidly in rodents coated with a retinyl-palmitate-based cream, versus animals in the non-RT group, when both groups were exposed to UV radiation. In his June 14 release, Schumer urges FDA to address concerns about retinyl palmitate and to announce a timeline for its long-delayed sunscreen final rule