[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 25, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S1725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SUNSCREEN INNOVATION ACT

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator Isakson 
and Representatives Dingell and Whitfield in the introduction of the 
Sunscreen Innovation Act.
  According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most 
common form of cancer in the United States. In 2014, over 2 million 
people will be diagnosed with skin cancer, and 20 percent of Americans 
will get skin cancer at some point during their lifetime. Melanoma, a 
dangerous form of skin cancer that often spreads throughout the body if 
not treated, will be diagnosed in an estimated 76,000 individuals this 
year, and will take the lives of almost 10,000 Americans. Many skin 
cancers are preventable with the use of effective sunscreen and by 
avoiding certain activities, like the excessive use of tanning beds.
  Throughout my time in Congress, I have been working to ensure 
consumers have adequate information to prevent skin cancer. For 
example, I authored the 2007 Tanning Accountability and Notification 
Act, which has helped spur the Food and Drug Administration's, FDA 
review of indoor tanning bed labels. Through letters to the FDA and 
report language in the annual appropriations bill, I continue to press 
the FDA to implement new tanning bed labeling standards found to be 
most effective in warning consumers about the harm caused by indoor 
tanning.
  In addition, after working with my former colleague, Senator Chris 
Dodd, since 1997 to compel the FDA to strengthen sunscreen labeling 
standards, in 2011 the FDA finally began to take action to finalize 
parts of the sunscreen monograph relating to the testing and labeling 
of sunscreen lotions. These regulations were over 30 years in the 
making. Last year, I urged the FDA to complete its review of sunscreen 
sprays and the use of sun protection factor, SPF, numbers higher than 
50 on product labels.
  One barrier to improved sunscreens has been the rate at which new 
over-the-counter, OTC sunscreen ingredients have been approved by the 
FDA. Indeed, the last such ingredient approved by the FDA was in the 
1990s, with the eight new ingredients submitted since 2002 still 
awaiting review. It is critical that the FDA perform its due diligence 
to guarantee that the sunscreen products are safe and effective, but 
this review process also needs to occur in a timeline that allows these 
necessary products to get into the hands of consumers.
  Many of these ingredients have been used in sunscreen products in 
Europe, Asia, and Central and South America, in some cases for many 
years. Unfortunately, delays in the FDA review process have kept these 
products off of the shelves in the United States for years while 
awaiting approval.
  Our bipartisan, bicameral Sunscreen Innovation Act aims to improve 
the application process for these new OTC ingredients and ensure 
consumers have access to new and potentially more effective sunscreen 
products in a timely manner. Americans have waited far too long for the 
most advanced, effective ways to protect themselves from the sun.
  I am pleased that this legislation has the support of the PASS 
Coalition, which is made up of such organizations as the Melanoma 
Research Alliance, the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the Skin Cancer 
Foundation, and many others.
  I look forward to working with these and other stakeholders, as well 
as Senator Isakson, Representatives Dingell and Whitfield, and the rest 
of our colleagues to pass the Sunscreen Innovation Act in order to 
improve access to new and more effective sunscreen products. Indeed, as 
we look to the coming warmer months, it is important that we undertake 
serious efforts that will give consumers greater peace of mind that the 
sunscreen products they purchase offer the strongest possible 
protection against the sun's harmful rays.

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