DANGERS OF THE SUN
WHO says sunburn ups a child's risk of getting cancer
GENEVA
The World Health Organization warns that a single case of sunburn can "significantly" increase a child's risk of getting skin cancer later in life.
"We know that a child's skin is more sensitive and even a short time in the sun can produce serious sunburn," WHO radiation and environmental health coordinator Mike Repacholi, said at the launch of a global campaign to educate children about the dangers.
The WHO campaign, organized with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), aims to help schools highlight the dangers of excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and do more to prevent melanoma, cataracts, and eye damage.
There are around 130,000 new cases every year of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, and two to three million annual cases of nonmalignant melanomas. Ultraviolet (UV) rays have increased in intensity in many parts of the world in recent years because the protective ozone layer in the earth's atmosphere is thinning due to pollution, scientists say.
"As ozone depletion becomes more marked and as people around the world engage more in sun-seeking behavior, the risk of developing health complications from over exposure to UV radiation is becoming a substantial public health concern," WHO Director General Lee Jong-Wook said.
The WHO campaign was launched to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on September 16.
International scientists warned two weeks ago that the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole was growing again. It had been stabilizing in recent years thanks to an international agreement to cut emissions of chemicals that harm the ozone layer.
UNEP said that without that agreement-the Montreal Protocol-some estimates indicated there would be 130 million more eye cataracts and 1.5 million more cases of skin cancer in the world.
The WHO campaign aims to expand to other countries the approach taken in Australia and the United States, where schools have been involved in "sun protection" program for about 20 years. It has produced booklets in several languages for primary and secondary schools that encourage children to wear hats and sunglasses, teach them the sun can damage skin and eyes, and advise them to stick to the shade at some times of the year.
"We would try and encourage children at school not to be outdoors between around 10 in the morning and three or four o'clock in the afternoon," WHO specialist Eva Rehfuss said. "A final means of protecting oneself should be sunscreen lotion but this really should be the last resort," she added.
While some ultraviolet exposure is necessary for good health, the campaign also dampens the summertime drive for a healthy-looking tan. "A tan, while looking nice, while presented in certain fashions as healthy, in fact is really the body's defense against greater ultraviolet exposure," Repacholi said.
AFP
|
