Farmers and gardeners should take a lesson from lifeguards.
No, not a swimming lesson.
A lesson in skin care.
Outdoor workers don’t usually pay as much attention to skin
care products as constantly
oiled sunbathers do. But they should.
More than 700,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each
year, with another
300,000 cases going undiagnosed.
Many of those could have been prevented with proper skin care
and precautions, says
Gail Hanula, a project coordinator for a cancer education
program with the University of
Georgia Extension Service.
AFor every 100 people who die from skin cancer in the general
population, 130 to 180
agricultural workers die from skin cancer, Hanula says.
AThey are obviously a high-risk group,” she says.
“Yet they often have less health insurance and less
coverage for preventive care.
The main cause of skin cancers in Georgia is overexposure to
the sun. So skin
protection is an important defense. The body’s natural defense
against ultraviolet rays is a pigment in the skin
called melanin.
ASome people have more melanin than others, Hanula says. The
melanin in light brown
or tanned skin provides only as much defense as a sunscreen with
a sun protection factor
(SPF) of 4. The melanin in dark black skin provides as much as
SPF 10.
With the summer sun beating down on farm workers, gardeners,
athletes and beachcombers
alike, Hanula has some simple ways to protect yourself from the
sun:
* Stay out of the sun, if you can, during peak hours from
10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Wear protective clothing. A woven hat with a three-inch
brim all the way around,
long-sleeve shirts, pants and sunglasses will help.
AI know it’s hot outside, she says, but a white, 100 percent
cotton, long-sleeve shirt reflects the sun’s rays. The shirt
will also
allow ventilation.
* Wear sunscreen. If you must be out in the sun, wear a
sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or
higher. Apply it about 30 minutes before you go out. Pay special
attention to the ears,
nose and lips. Apply it regularly.
AYou have three choices of sunscreen, Hanula says. Sports
sunscreen is designed
to take the sting out of sweating and wearing
sunscreen. ‘Waterproof’ provides 80 minutes
of protection while sweating or swimming before you need to
reapply. And ‘water-resistant’
provides 40 minutes of protection while sweating or swimming.
* Don’t work
on a tan, either in the sun or in tanning parlors. Short bursts
of exposure or burning are
linked to malignant melanomas.
* Anytime you handle pesticides or dangerous chemicals, wear
protective equipment and
clothes.
AExamine your skin regularly, Hanula says. ANotice any change
in skin
condition. If you see something peculiar, call your doctor
immediately.
A research project called Georgia’s Harvesting Healthy Habits
is helping experts learn more about skin
cancer among farmers.
It is carried out by the Georgia Department of Human
Resources, in cooperation with the
UGA Health Communication Center in the Department of Speech
Communication.
