Magic Bullets: Chemistry vs. Cancer

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    Sun and Clouds:
    Sunscreen Labels

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    Introduction
    Possible Activities
    For more information, at other Web sites...
    Relevant National Science Education Standards
    Relevant New Jersey State Science Education Standards

    Introduction

    The label used in this activity is imaginary since there are no regulations currently about sunscreen labeling. The FDA treats sunscreens as an over the counter drug. That means that every brand of sunscreen must meet the same standards for ingredients and SPF rating. So an SPF of 15 in one product is the same as an SPF of 15 on another product. The regulations for labeling sunscreens will not go into effect until December 31, 2002.

    To read the proposed regulations and some background on current regulations of ingredients, see Federal Register 64 27666 - May 21, 1999: Sunscreen Drug Products For Over-The-Counter Human Use; Final Monograph.

    The primary intent of this activity is to provide useful information to students and allow them to be informed as they make decisions to protect themselves as much as possible from the effects of ultraviolet radiation.

    Possible Activities

    Some possible assessment activities you might consider using with this label are:

    1. Students, working individually or in teams, make a poster-size label for display in your classroom, elsewhere in the school or in the community. You could assess the posters using the following standards or modifications of this 20 point rubric:

      1. Does it include the key terms broad, spectrum, sunblock, active, ingredients, and SPF with explanations of each? (4 × 1 each = 4 points)

      2. Does it include as active ingredients at least one UVA protectant and one UVB protectant? Recommended UVA ingredients are avobenzone, oxybenzone, or dioxybenzone. Recommended UVB ingredients are salicylates, cinnamates, and anthrilanilates. (2 × 2 = 4 points)

      3. Does the label include one sunblock? Accepted sunblock ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. (2 × 1 = 2 points)

      4. Does it include as part of the directions:

        1. apply liberally (1 point)
        2. apply at least 15 minutes before sunning (1 point)
        3. reply after swimming or sunning (1 point)

      5. Is it well organized? (2 points)

      6. Is the information presented accurately? (3 points)

      7. Is the poster colorful and appealing? (2 points)

    2. Divide the class into teams. Assign each team one "panel" of the label. Depending on class size you might have enough teams to make two or three labels. Each teams is to research information related to its panel and to present the panel and accompanying research. The panels might be:

      • Brand and product information
      • Active ingredients
      • Directions
      • Warnings
      • Product guide

    3. Make the size requirements for each panel standard so that they can be fit together later in one large label. Other parts of the skin cancer prevention module may be used for initial research, as may the on-line resources listed below and in the student version of the activity.

    For more information, at other Web sites...

      Lifestyle and the Sun — from the Cancer Society of New Zealand.

      Solar UV Index — includes information on UV levels and the risk of skin damage, along with current UV index maps of Europe, from the Met Office.

      The Sun and You (pdf format) — brochure on UV radiation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

      "Sun Protection": Recommended EPA Web pages — from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

      Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Using Sunscreens — from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    Relevant National Science Education Standards

      Physical Science — Properties of compounds used as sunscreens are important in this activity.

      Science in Personal and Social Perspectives — Using sunscreen is a personal health issue in this activity.

    Relevant New Jersey State Science Education Standards

      5.4 Sunscreen is emphasized in the activity as a simple technology for controlling UV radiation.
      5.6 The activity introduces some of the compounds found in sunscreens.

     

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