Sunscreen and the Precautionary Principle

Abstract

The Precautionary Principle is a decision-making device designed to help us when we deal with uncertain risks. Despite a number of case-control and prospective studies over several years, there remains some uncertainty as to whether sunscreens are unequivocally effective in reducing the risk of skin cancer, and we examine how useful the principle is in deciding whether sunscreen should be included in the sun protection toolbox as a public health measure. We conclude that the Precautionary Principle can be a useful tool supporting public health recommendations to use sunscreen as a means of reducing the morbidity and mortality of skin cancer, but we show that it is not without its shortcomings.