Dont Fry-Day is Friday; EPA Offers Tips to Prevent Skin Cancer (NJ, NY)
(New York, NY) The Friday before
Memorial Day is “Don’t Fry Day,” an opportunity
time to remind people at the start of summer about the dangers from
exposure to the sun’s harmful rays. Over exposure to
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin
cancer. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is on the
rise in America and is the most common cancer among young adults
aged 25-29. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
SunWise program and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention
are working together to provide simple tips on protecting yourself
that could save lives.
One American dies from skin cancer every hour.
It is the most common type of cancer in the United States, where
skin cancer affects more than two million people each year,
outnumbering the cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers
combined. One in five Americans will develop the disease in their
lifetime.
“Whether you are at the beach or simply
taking a walk on a sunny day, it’s easy to forget that
unprotected sun exposure can cause serious health problems,”
said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The good
news is that there are simple steps you can take to protect
yourself and your family from too much sun, the main cause of skin
cancer.”
Although skin cancer risk factors are always present even during
the winter, the dangers are greater during the summer months, when
the days are longer and more people are outside for longer periods
of time. As millions of Americans kick off the summer season this
Memorial Day weekend by enjoying the great outdoors, EPA encourages
families to learn about sun-safe practices and to reduce
overexposure to ultraviolet (UV).
For “Don’t Fry Day,” (May 27
this year), EPA encourages Americans to take these few, easy
precautions when they are outside:
· “Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap.” Slip on a shirt. Slop on SPF 15+ sunscreen. Slap on a
hat, and wrap on sunglasses to protect your body from overexposure
to the sun
· Seek
shade. Find shade during the
sun’s peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce the
risk of too much sun exposure
· Check the
UV Index. When planning outdoor
activities check the UV Index to identify the times that pose the
greatest risk for overexposure to the sun
EPA’s SunWise program is the
nation’s largest environmental and health education program
designed to encourage kids and their caregivers to protect
themselves from too much sun.
More information on “Don’t Fry
Day” and additional sun safety resources: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/dfd.html
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
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