University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center Contributes to Latest Sunscreen Study
August 9, 2022
in Aquatic Environments and Implications
for Sunscreen Usage and Human Health
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) held a public release webinar on Tuesday, August 9, highlighting key takeaways from a new report on sunscreens. The report, Review of Fate, Exposure and Effects of Sunscreens in Aquatic Environments and Implications for Sunscreen Usage and Human Health, pulled together extensive amounts of information from both environmental research and human health perspectives. Kevin Cassel, DrPH, an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, was a member of the NASEM committee completing this report. The report recommends that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursue an ecological risk assessment on all sunscreens. The assessment would identify potential risks to aquatic ecosystems and the species that live in them. It also notes that although some sunscreen products are labeled "reef safe," the term lacks a regulated or standardized definition; therefore, the composition of "reef safe" products may vary. The report does not identify which sunscreens are safe for coral reefs or other organisms as the committee did not conduct a risk characterization. Dr. Cassel states, “this report is the first step towards more and better science to understand the complexities surrounding sunscreen’s impact on the environment and human health.”
The report also describes how ultraviolet (UV) radiation is associated with skin cancer and how sunscreen has contributed to risk reduction. Other recommendations were to conduct further research to understand better the human health implications of any changes in sunscreen usage.
Mandated by Congress to support a study on this topic, the EPA sponsored the report. The committee's work occurred over the course of about 1.5 years through public meetings with a range of experts on the environment and public health to supplement the committee's expertise. The findings and recommendations were based on the committee's assessment of the available information, and deliberated until consensus was achieved across committee members.
