Think The Sun's NOT Getting HOTTER? Checked SPF Ratings Lately?

Once upon a time, a sunscreen with an SPF [Sun Protection Factor] of around 20-30 was considered to be a safe bet for prolonged exposure to the sun's rays. In fact, in 1999, The U.S. and Australia began prohibiting manufacturers from labelling their products with a higher SPF rating than 30, allegedly to protect the market from false protection claims.

Then, in 2007, The U.S. upped the ante and allowed products to be labelled "50+".

I bring this up because yesterday -in a local Dollar General store- I noticed several sunscreens not only with a 50SPF listed on their label... I also spotted one with a whopping 70SPF! 70! Are these products designed for Albinos who can get a burn from a 60w bulb? I'm left to conclude that one of two things is happening: either 1. the Sun IS getter more intense, or 2. people's tolerances are dropping dramatically.

The irony? I found a couple of articles online that suggested that anything with a SPF rating of over 30 doesn't do that much more anyway, and that if the Sun's THAT intense [or you burn very, very easily] you're better off just covering up.

And: to complicate the whole issue, different countries hae differing methods of measuring a sunscreen's effectiveness, with several [including Australia - BTW: the Aussies are the world leaders in sunscreen research!] not even following the so-called "International" testing protocols.

What's next? 200SPF?