FDA delays new rules for sunscreen

WASHINGTON — Sunscreen confusion won't be over before summer after all. The government is bowing to industry requests for more time to make clear how much protection their brands really offer against skin cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered changes last summer but gave sunscreen makers a year — until this June — to get revised bottles on the shelf. Among the changes: Sunscreens had to protect against both sunburn-causing ultraviolet B rays and the ultraviolet A linked to skin cancer — or carry a special warning label. They also couldn't claim to be waterproof or sweatproof.

Friday, the FDA said it would give sunscreen makers who aren't ready another six months to make the changes but encouraged them to get newly labeled bottles on store shelves as soon as possible.