Does Sunscreen Prevent UV-Caused Mutations?

Overview

Objectives/Goals I wanted to see if I could use the bacterium E. coli instead of animals to test whether sunscreens worked. I hypothesized that the higher the SPF rating, the more protective the sunscreen would be at blocking mutations caused by UV rays. Methods/Materials I spread 500-1000 single cells of the bacterium E. coli onto plates, and exposed them to UV light at a tanning salon to cause mutations. Onto the plate lids I applied different SPF suncreens all of the same brand, aluminum foil or no addition. By counting the number of colonies that grew I was able to determine whether the treatments helped to block mutations. Results The average number of colonies that grew from UV-treated bacteria was higher if the lid had a treatment to block out the UV. Except for SPF45, sunscreen with a higher SPF rating (SPF30) was more protective than lower SPFs (8 and 15) in blocking UV-induced mutations in bacteria. Conclusions/Discussion I conclude that my hypothesis was mostly correct. Except for the SPF45 lotion, the higher SPF rating was more protective at blocking UV-caused mutations. This is important because sunscreen is necessary to prevent skin cancer in light-skinned people. My method allows bacteria to be used instead of humans or other vertebrates to show that sunscreens do what they advertise.

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Pharmacology/ Toxicology · Entry J1411

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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