is UVA lobbying the FDA?

once upon a time, sunscreen only protected against UVB rays, the major cause of sunburn. however, scientists now believe that UVA rays may be the primary cause of skin cancer (and sun-related aging). most sunscreens available in the US still don't provide good UVA protection, however, even though the technology has been available since the early 1990s.

mexoryl sx, created back in 1993, may be the best uva sunscreen in existence. it's widely used in europe, south america, australia, and japan. there is only one acronym to explain why you can't buy it at your local store: FDA. it's unclear whether or not the FDA will actually approve it - if it does, it will likely do so this year.

FDAreview.org has a clear and concise explanation of why the FDA may be so cautious, even on simple items such as sunscreen: if i get skin cancer i can't really blame the FDA for it, because they have not done anything specifically to cause me harm. however, if mexoryl is approved and it causes me harm, i certainly can blame the FDA for allowing me access to dangerous chemicals.

what to do in the meantime? here are some links to sites where you can purchase UVA-protecting contraband now:

feelbest.com: canadian drugstore. all of the anthelios products have mexoryl sx in them.
candrugstore.com: another canadian drugstore.
skin care lab: a yahoo store (it's unclear to me why they can sell this stuff, as they're based in NY).

of course, the availability of these products online just illustrates the power of the internet revolution, and the further class stratification created by the government restricting access to products (i.e., poor people without internet access cannot get mexoryl, and are therefore arguably more at risk for skin cancer, even if they wished to prevent it by using sunscreen).

gracious hat-tippin' to vegetarian times magazine for the mexoryl sx info.

Labels: drugs, political