Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Common Sunscreen Ingredients Enter The Bloodstream Quickly And At High Enough Levels To Trigger FDA Action
The Hill: FDA Asking Manufacturers To Study Safety Of Chemicals In Sunscreen
Several ingredients commonly found in sunscreens may be absorbed into the bloodstream rather than remaining on the surface of the skin, suggesting the need for further study by manufacturers, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. FDA researchers found users of products with the active ingredient avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene or ecamsule absorb higher levels than the amount benign enough not to require safety testing, according to the study. In some cases, the levels were up to 40 times higher than that threshold. (Budryk, 5/6)
CNN: Sunscreen Enters Bloodstream After Just One Day Of Use, Study Says
It took just one day of use for several common sunscreen ingredients to enter the bloodstream at levels high enough to trigger a government safety investigation, according to a pilot study conducted by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, an arm of the US Food and Drug Administration. The study, published Monday in the medical journal JAMA, also found that the blood concentration of three of the ingredients continued to rise as daily use continued and then remained in the body for at least 24 hours after sunscreen use ended. (LaMotte, 5/6)
