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FDA Commissioner responds to Call to Action for skin cancer prevention
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg has released a statement regarding the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, sun safety and recent rulings put in place to protect Americans from skin cancer.
Hamburg said the information included in the Call to Action is especially crucial during the summer months, when many people spend much of their time outside.
Initiatives taken by the FDA during the past several years — such as adding accurate labeling to sunscreens with “broad spectrum” and water-resistance claims, as well as changing its risk classification for sunlamp products to impose increased regulatory control — are steps the FDA hopes will help address the harmful effects of the sun and UV radiation exposure, according to Hamburg.
Spending time in the sun increases a person’s overall risk of skin cancer and skin aging, Hamburg said. Tips from the FDA on sun safety can be found here.
Additionally, information on the risks associated with sunlamp product use can be viewed here.