Lawmakers look to make sunscreen standard issue for servicemembers
Research suggests skin cancer rates are 62% higher for active-duty troops.
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A group of legislators is calling on the Trump administration to make sunscreen readily available to United States servicemembers year-round in an effort to combat skin cancer.
New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, along with more than a dozen other lawmakers, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raising concerns that sunscreen is not included in the personal protective equipment issued to troops. The letter also says there have been reports of some troops not being able to use sunscreen sent to them by family members during training and deployment.
A press release from Pallone’s office points to research suggesting that active-duty servicemembers have skin cancer rates that are 62% higher than those of the general population, while veterans are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage disease.
“Decades of studies going back to WWII confirm the linkage of exposure to the development of deadly melanoma. Shockingly, one of the most proven skin cancer prevention tools, sunscreen, is not included in PPE for military personnel,” lawmakers wrote in their letter to Hegseth.
American Academy of Dermatology Association President Murad Alam said in a press release that the Department of Defense should provide servicemembers with water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher “as basic protection against skin cancer that preserves their health during their service to our nation.”
The letter to Hegseth also asks about current steps being taken by the Department of Defense to encourage troops to use sun protection and whether commanding officers are authorized to dispense sunscreen.
