T&T: Best sunscreen

[Jeffrey Siegel]

> Jeff's effort to provide useable information is foiled 
> by his source, Environmental Working Group.

I don't think so.  This isn't a subject area that I've casually gotten
into.  I'm quite serious about it.  There's plenty of room for honest,
respectful debate.

I spent my career creating medical devices that require FDA approvals.
I've been involved with 9 such approvals.  And those close workings with
the FDA weren't through someone else in the company.  I performed some
of the testing, signed the documents, and was the one responsible.  I'm
the one who goes to jail if the information is incorrect.

Because of the Maine Boatbuilders Boat Show tomorrow, I can't fully
answer the various charges posted by Mr. Kern.  Over the weekend, I'll
give one specific example of one of the common issues with sunscreen
ingredients.

The thing to keep in the back of your mind is that the FDA has a pretty
poor track record of protecting the American population.  You don't have
to wait more than a few months to find a new report of some drug being
pulled from the market because of false claims, lies, and sometimes even
death.  As most people are starting to learn, the FDA itself does very
little, if any testing.  They rely on the claims of the manufacturer
which are sometimes less than truthful.

The Environmental Working Group does some of their own testing.  They
aren't crackpots.  They're probably a fair amount left of center but
their goal is to provide information that helps.  Even if some of their
claims are exaggerated (and I'm not saying they are), I'd prefer to
error on the side of being safe and throw out the sunscreens that they
say are bad.


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Jeffrey Siegel
M/V aCappella
DeFever 53PH
W1ACA/WDB4350
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
The Interactive Cruising Guidebook

 
 
 

 
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