Suit: Sunscreen labels are misleading
Quote:
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A law firm known for going after big corporations has filed a suit accusing sunscreen makers of exaggerating how well their products protect against harmful ultraviolet rays.
The lawsuit claims that the sunscreens don't block all UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer. It seeks consumer refunds and wants to force the manufacturers to give up earnings from sales of such products.
"Sunscreen is the snake oil of the 21st century," said Samuel Rudman, a partner in the law firm that filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court.
"False claims such as 'sunblock,' 'waterproof' and 'all-day protection' should be removed from these products immediately," he said.
Coppertone manufacturer Schering-Plough Corp. "vigorously disputed" the allegations, spokeswoman Denise Foy said. It and another maker, Johnson & Johnson's Neutrogena Corp., said their sunscreens comply with Food and Drug Administration rules.
Dermatologists agree that sunscreens don't provide full protection but still consider them beneficial.
"It's akin to someone suing a seat belt manufacturer because seat belts don't prevent 100 percent of the deaths," said Dr. Richard G. Glogau, a clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
More than $455 million worth of sunscreen and tanning lotions are sold each year.
The suit seeks class-action status for the lawsuit, which combines nine earlier complaints. Also named as defendants were Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat, BullfrogPlaytex Products, Tanning Research Laboratories and Chattem Brands
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/me calls lawyer now to get in on this lawsuit and make some money off of the many many sunburns I've gotten over the years...
do you use sunscreen? Do you believe the label that accompanies the sunscreen? In high school, I used baby oil and turned into a lobster... now that i'm older and have to watch my skin, I always use sunscreen and dress appropriately when I'm out in the sun... I burn very easily so I tend to not beleive the labels much...