Consumers have the right to know more about the efficacy of the products they use for sunburn protection. This could be no longer a slogan but the result of a bill that would compel the Food and Drug Administration to make final its rules on the labeling on sunscreens.

The Sunscreen Labeling Protection Act of 2008 was introduced last Friday by two United States senators and would give the FDA 180 days to make its own rules final. If the agency fails to do so until this deadline, the proposed rules would take effect.

The agency has started an initiative towards proper labels since last summer, but it didn’t make the regulations final, which must happen before they can be implemented. “The delay is happening for economic reasons,” Senator Christopher Dodd told the New York Times.

“It sounds like an industry reluctant to have a standard set because that may open the doors to insisting upon more accurate labels on certain other products as well,” added the Senator.

For many years, it was believed that people should protect only from the UVB rays that cause skin burns and are responsible for skin cancer. Recent studies show that UVA rays which give the skin its tan, can be also harmful, being linked to aging and also skin cancer.

No matter what SPF number is on the bottle it doesn’t mean the sunscreen will offer protection for the UVA rays also. This will become public knowledge once the new sunscreen rules apply, because manufacturers would be required to display on the label both the SPF number and a new rating for UVA protection.

For this to happen it is necessary that the industry put 2,700 products through UVA testing and re-label all products. In terms of costs, the industry trades have estimated a total of $124.2 million, including re-labeling costs.

On the other hand, the American Cancer Society’s latest numbers show an important increase in cases of melanoma, up to 59,940 new ones in 2007.

Between the industry costs and this statistic, it is safer to wear a hat. It offers high protection at low prices.