We need to remember to put on sun-protective clothing as the summer draws near.
Sunscreen is a must-have for skin protection. Cancer.
The sun protection factor, also known as the sunscreen rating, is what we see on sunscreen bottles. It indicates the level of protection – but is it always what it says it is, and how is it actually tested?
Risks to human health when SPF testing is done
Although there have been a few cases of Sunscreens that don’t meet their SPF claims are not up to the markThis is an exception to the rule.
These products are tightly regulated in Australia to ensure safety and compliance with current SPF testing methods.
Problems arise however when it comes down to HowSunscreens are tested to determine their SPF rating. The SPF rating on sunscreen bottles is determined through testing on humans.
Ultimately, this means we are risking people’s health to test how effective our sunscreens are – and we urgently need to change this.
How is sunscreen SPF tested
Once a sunscreen formula has been created by a manufacturer, it will need to be tested to verify that it only contains approved ingredients and does the job it says.
All sunscreen products that are available in Australia are Tested according to the Australian Standard in order to determine the SPF. This is great and provides assurance of safety and quality for the consumer – but the problem is with how this testing is done.
Sunscreens that are tested on humans are currently the accepted international standard for rating the sunscreen’s UV protection. This involves volunteers applying artificial solar to the skin and wearing a defined amount of sunscreen. UV radiation.
You can measure performance by measuring the time it takes for redness or erythema to occur. This is basically sunburnBased on this, an SPF rating will be assigned.
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Is human testing for SPF dangerous?
Is it really a problem that sunscreens are only approved ingredients that we know are safe?
Sadly, yes. The exposure of people to UV radiation in human testing can cause damage to their eyes and skin. It is also the most common cause of skin cancer. This is enough to make you happy. Unjustifiable and unethical.
Other issues can arise when sunscreen is applied to humans. The most important is the It is subjective to use erythema as a method of determining sunscreen’s effectiveness.These may vary from one person to the next, even among people with the same medical history. Type of skin. This makes such methods of testing questionable.
Furthermore, testing is limited to a very small number of people (minimum of 2). In Australia, ten people are required). This is great for exposing as few people as possible to harmful UV radiation to determine a product’s SPF rating – but not so great when it comes to inclusiveness.
It is impossible to test a representative sample of people. It doesn’t cover all skin types, and it leads to real results. Reproducible results require overcoming many obstaclesDifferent laboratories tested the same product.
It is also expensive to test the products. This increases the cost of sunscreens and could limit manufacturers’ ability to develop better products.
These issues and many others highlight the urgent need to develop non-human (invitro) testing methods for sunscreen effectiveness.
SPF testing that is human-free is under development
While there have been efforts to create non-human testing methods for some time, Many challenges remain. These includeMaterials used to mimic human skin (also called substrates), problems in applying sunscreen to these substrates, reproducibility and ensuring results that are comparable to what we see in human testing.
However, scientists are still able to RMIT UniversityWith the support of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety AgencyARPANSA) and the Cancer Council VictoriaThese are the best. We are working to solve this problem.
They have so far developed a prototype sensor. Exposure to UV radiation can cause color changes. This SensorIt could be modified to allow for human-free sunscreen testing.
In vitro testing will allow sunscreen manufacturers to rapidly develop and test new sunscreens without having to wait for human testing.
So the next time you buy a bottle of sunscreen, look to purchase the highest-rated sunscreen of SPF 50+ – and know that work is underway on getting that rating classified in a more ethical way.
Sarah LoughranDirector Radiation Research and Advice, (ARPANSA), and Adjunct Professor (UOW). University of WollongongAnd Sylvia Urban, Professor in Chemistry, School of Science (Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science), RMIT University.
This article was republished by The ConversationUnder a Creative Commons License Learn more Original article.
