Photo by GenBugLast month, worried that applying sunscreen would lead to inappropriate touching, Maryland health officials put in place a new policy at summer camps that steered counselors away from helping children apply sunscreen and forbid campers from assisting each other in the application of sunscreen. On Saturday, in response to dermatologists and parents who said the new policy would make it far more likely that children would suffer skin damage, the state health department scrapped the new restrictions.
The Washington Post reports that Maryland’s now defunct policy, issued June 10, had been described as one of the toughest in the nation. The rules, aimed at protecting children, came at a time when the FDA is cracking down on sunscreens, raising standards on what qualifies as “broad-spectrum,” and encouraging parents to make smart decisions about protecting their families from sun damage.
The policy had ordered summer camp operators to avoid assisting campers with applying sunscreen and to get parents’ permission before letting any child use sunscreen at camp.
The guidelines said, “Camp staff should limit touching the camper as much as possible. Under no circumstances should campers assist each other in the application of sunscreen.” The policy also prohibited camps from supplying sunscreen to campers.
The new policy will still require parents to give permission to summer camps if they want their child to be using sunscreen, a policy that exists in a few other states, but it now says that it “encourages the appropriate use of sunscreen during summer activities.”
The health department said that it had no information that inappropriate touching was a problem at Maryland summer camps.
