U.S. Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), David Joyce (OH-14), and John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) led a bipartisan letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action to prevent skin cancer by removing barriers that hinder Americans’ access to safe and effective sunscreens and prioritize the approval of new active sunscreen ingredients.

According to studies, about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, making it the most common cancer in the United States. Despite rising skin cancer rates, no new sunscreen ingredients have been approved in the U.S. since the 1990s, which has caused the country to lag behind other countries in Europe and Asia in protecting people from harmful U.V. rays.  

“As you know, the public health challenges posed by increasing incidence of skin cancer are significant… Although strides have been made in skin cancer awareness, early detection, and treatment, the U.S. continues to lag far behind other countries in terms of sunscreen access and protecting people from harmful U.V. rays,” the Members wrote.

The Members continued, “We urge FDA to prioritize access to sunscreen and sunscreen choice, including sunscreen active ingredients that have demonstrated safety and efficacy in the U.S. marketplace for decades and are proven skin cancer prevention tools. Any regulatory framework for the review and evaluation of sunscreen active ingredients must recognize the important role sunscreens play in preventing skin cancer.”

Full text of the letter can be found here.