Nita Lowey (D-Rockland/Westchester) delivered a relevant message Friday morning while standing in 90-degree weather at Rockland Lake State Park—sunscreen products must be regulated and properly labeled, a task the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently lapsed on, she said.
"Every year, I and millions of Americans find [sunscreen] labels more and more confusing," she said.
"I am deeply concerned for the safety of American families as we move into the peak of summer," Lowey added. "With the FDA delay in implementing the requirement for sunscreen manufactures to disclose the protections offered by products from UVB and UVA rays, consumers are forced to spend another summer questioning their sunscreen labels."
Lowey was joined by Chuck Bell, programs director of the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.
"Consumers are being misled by the SPF ratings that are used today, and they need better information now," Bell said.
Bell noted some sunscreens with high SPF may not actually protect people against the sun's rays.
Patch wants to know: are you confused and/or misled by sunscreen labels?
