WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000
I am a Brit in Florida, which means I apply enormous amounts of sunblock

2
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.000
to stop me going as red as a lobster.

3
00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:09.360
But here is something you might not know: the SPF factor on sunblock,

4
00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:15.000
this 50 here, in this case—because I am very pale—was originally meant to be a multiplier.

5
00:00:15.200 --> 00:00:21.100
The idea was... that if you burned in 10 minutes without sunblock,

6
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:26.180
that would multiply that by 50; you could manage 500 minutes in burning sun

7
00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:28.320
before you actually got burned.

8
00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:32.380
Now, the thing is: that's not actually true, because sunblock's a lot more complicated than that;

9
00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:37.140
it requires differences depending on skin tone, on all sorts of things,

10
00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:38.340
on your personal reaction.

11
00:00:38.440 --> 00:00:43.980
Unless the sunblock is broad-spectrum, as this is, it doesn't cover against the more harmful effects

12
00:00:43.980 --> 00:00:46.460
the long-term effects, not just turning red.

13
00:00:46.940 --> 00:00:48.280
So, how do they test it?

14
00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:51.060
Well, the way they test it is quite wonderful. The FDA in the US

15
00:00:51.060 --> 00:00:54.880
for this—The Food and Drug Administration—requires what is known as

16
00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:59.820
an "in vivo" test. Meaning it has to be done on an actual live volunteer,

17
00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:03.260
which means that someone has, presumably, one arm covered in sunblock,

18
00:01:03.260 --> 00:01:10.460
one arm - not, and then they are put under a test sun simulator until they burn to see what happens.

19
00:01:11.020 --> 00:01:15.000
And, while it can, technically, get up to 100-200 times multiplier,

20
00:01:15.440 --> 00:01:20.560
the FDA requires no more than 50. In Australia - no more than 30,

21
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.660
because anything more than that is considered confusing to people

22
00:01:23.660 --> 00:01:29.820
who might think they can put sunblock on and stay out all day, every day, with no risk of skin cancer.

23
00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:33.880
So, there you go. Sun Protection Factor - mostly a load of rubbish,

24
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.520
although, you should still wear it because otherwise,

25
00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:40.580
well, you're going to end up like I'm going to look in probably a few hours' time.

26
00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:41.500
And that...

27
00:01:42.100 --> 00:01:42.940
ARGH!

28
00:01:43.820 --> 00:01:45.820
Also, don't get it in your eyes!

29
00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:47.180
OH! That...

30
00:01:48.460 --> 00:01:50.460
[Translating these subtitles? Add your name here!]