A U.S. senator says there could possibly be a link between a chemical in sunscreen and skin cancer. He's demanding the FDA reveal its findings about the study.
Senator Charles Schumer says the Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing data about the potential health risk of the chemical "retinyl palmitate" since July of last year. He's calling on the FDA to give its evaluation of the data immediately.
The democrat says consumers deserve to know if a chemical in their sunscreen causes cancer.
"Millions of Americans use sunscreen to keep themselves and their families protected from the dangers of too much sun," Senator Schumer said. "If the product they are using does more harm than good, everyone has the right to know and the FDA has to take action.'
Retinyl Palmitate, a Vitamin A derivative, is found in hundreds of of the most popular sunscreen products in stores.
One study found that tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated with the chemical.