기후변화와 폭염 시대의 자외선 노출 관리: 자외선차단제 성분 안전관리의 필요성

초록

Background: While climate change is reshaping UV exposure — through heat-driven changes in outdoor activity and work patterns, and regionally variable surface UV levels — sun-protection policy still narrowly centers on encouraging sunscreen use. However, this approach can overlook the contents of the products. Objectives: This study argues that climate adaptation policy should progress from purely promoting sunscreen use to include governing UV filters by ingredient, concentration, exposure route, vulnerable population, and environmental outcome. Methods: We summarized recent safety assessments of major UV filters issued by international regulatory and scientific bodies — including the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the UK Scientific Advisory Group on Chemical Safety (SAG-CS) — and compared their conclusions with Korea’s regulatory framework. Results: Regulatory assessments of 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, homosalate, and oxybenzone — together with evidence of systemic absorption, occupational inhalation of nano-scale raw materials, and aquatic toxicity — have already produced ingredient-specific restrictions abroad. In South Korea, this gap calls for product-level surveillance, concentration verification, and clearer labeling. Conclusions: Sunscreen should remain a major component of sun protection, but environmental health policy must govern what is in it. Product surveillance, concentration verification, and labeling should be prioritized in the near-term while also addressing nano-handling workers, endocrine-disrupting potential, aquatic exposure, and the public’s right to know. In short: use sunscreen, but control what is in it.

키워드