EPA Region 10 Asks Alaskans to Fight #1 Cancer in U.S. with Dont Fry Day (Friday, May 27) (AK)
[Seattle - May 23, 2011]— Every hour, one
American dies from skin cancer – the number one cancer in the
U.S. To help people learn easy ways to combat the disease, the U.S.
EPA SunWise program has partnered with the National Council on Skin
Cancer Prevention to designate the Friday before Memorial Day (May
27) as “Don’t Fry Day.” EPA encourages Alaskans
to learn about and practice sun-safe behaviors this Don’t Fry
Day to reduce overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation –
the main cause of skin cancer.
Each Memorial Day weekend, millions of Americans kick off the
summer season and begin enjoying the great outdoors. Though skin
cancer risks exist all year long, the dangers are even greater
during the summer months, when the days are longer, and more people
are outside for longer periods of time.
“Even here in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, where it can
be cloudy and rainy, it’s important that we protect ourselves
from harmful UV rays," said Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional
Administrator in Seattle. “Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, are
among the top ten states for new melanoma diagnoses, so it is very
important that we practice sun-safe behaviors year-round, not just
during the spring and summer months.”
Fortunately, people who choose to protect their
skin from the sun can easily acquire a sufficient amount of vitamin
D by mouth (from a combination of diet and vitamin supplements),
providing an alternative route to maintaining a healthy vitamin D
concentration that avoids the cancer risk associated with sun
exposure.
For “Don’t Fry Day,” Region 10
encourages Alaskans to practice the Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap safety tips, which include:
- Slip on a shirt, preferably with sleeves;
- Slop on SPF 15+ sunscreen generously;
- Slap on a hat; and
- Wrap on sunglasses.
SunWise also recommends that families seek shade during the sun’s peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Checking the UV Index to plan outdoor activities is also key for identifying times that pose the greatest risk for overexposure to the sun.
In the U.S., 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. Meanwhile, melanoma—the most serious form of skin cancer— is on the rise. It is the most common cancer among young adults ages 25 to 29. From 2003-2007 Alaska ranked 48th.
For more on “Don’t Fry Day” and additional sun safety resources, including a sun safety packing list and new public service announcements created by kids in K-8, go to: https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/dfd.html.
EPA’s SunWise program is a national environmental and health education program that teaches children and their caregivers how to be safe in the sun through the use of classroom-, school-, and community-based components. To learn more about free SunWise resources, download the UV Index widget or smart phone application, or sign up to receive daily UV Index forecasts, visit www.epa.gov/sunwise.