Two-thirds of sunscreens fail safety tests

(HealthDay)—Nearly two-thirds of sunscreens that were analyzed failed safety tests proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Working Group said Wednesday.

The findings are included in the nonprofit consumer advocacy group's latest edition of its annual Guide to Sunscreens, CNN reported. The group analyzed the ingredients and performance of more than 1,300 sunscreen products with sun protection factor (SPF). Of those, 750 are marketed as beach and sport sunscreens. The total sample size is just a small portion of the more than 12,000 sunscreen products the FDA says are available in the United States.

More than 60 percent of the sunscreen products tested did not provide adequate sun protection or contained potentially harmful chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group. The products were assessed using new FDA guidelines proposed earlier this year.

"Even though we've come up with similar results in our guide before, comparing it to the FDA's actual proposed standards is really strong," Nneka Leiba, M.P.H., director of healthy living science at the working group, told CNN. "So, the fact that 60 percent of the market seemingly wouldn't be considered safe and effective by the FDA is a huge deal."