Exposing your body to at least 10 minutes a day of direct sunlight is not only recommended, but a necessity to optimize vitamin D levels for good health and disease prevention. The sunscreen industry has worked hard to promote the myth that the sun (at any exposure) is bad for our health and should be avoided. The truth is, the only thing that should be a avoided is a sun burn. So how do we prevent burning and still stay healthy with the abundance of dangerous sunscreens on the market?

Surprisingly, 3 of 5 brand-name sunscreens either don’t protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals — or both. An Environmental Working Group investigation of 1,571 sunscreens rates the season’s best — and worst.

70% of sunscreen products now contain strong UVA filters, compared to 29% last year. The bad news: much UVA protection is still too thin to save your skin. Don't waste your money or risk your skin on sunscreens that don’t deliver.

* 57 sunscreens with SPFs from 55-100+ might tempt you to stay out longer in the sun, but they block just 1-2% more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen.

* Hundreds of all-day moisturizers advertise SPF protection, but 1 in 5 offers little protection from harmful UVA rays. Some break down well before the day's end. A surprising new government report attributes an increasing incidence of malignant melanoma among people who work indoors to UVA rays shining through windows onto unprotected skin.

One plus for 2009: 19% fewer sunscreens contain oxybenzone, a hormone disruptor approved by FDA as an active ingredient in sunscreen.

Few sunscreens live up to their advertising claims, and the federal government is powerless to make them. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been promising to regulate sunscreens since 1978.