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Introduction
Skin
cancer is now considered epidemic throughout the nation
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over
one million residents in the United States are expected
to get skin cancer this year. That's more people than
the collective total of all who will get cancers of
the breast, prostate, lung, and colon. Exposure to ultraviolet
(UV) rays in sunlight causes 90 percent of all non-melanoma skin cancer
cases. Risk for skin cancer can be greatly reduced when
certain precautions are practiced.
Following
are the basic strategies for preventing skin cancer.
The sun-safety tips are then translated into guidelines
for outdoor play that staff are encouraged
to incorporate into a sun-protection policy they create
for their site.
Basic Personal Strategies For Preventing
Skin Cancer
- Reduce exposure to sunlight from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the winter).
- Seek shade when outside in the sun.
- Cover up when outside in sunlight
by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt,
and full-length pants (weather permitting).
- Use sunglasses that state they protect
from 100 percent of UVA and UVB (broad-spectrum).
Most sunglasses now offer 100 percent protection.
UV-protective coatings should be added to prescription
glasses.
- Fifteen minutes before going outside,
apply broad-spectrum (UVA & UVB) sunscreen (SPF 30
or greater) to exposed skin.
- Use lip balm that has a SPF rating
of at least 30.
Suggested Guidelines for Outdoor Play
There
may likely be some sun-safety guideline statements presented
here that contain elements that are not feasible for
inclusion in the sun-protection policy developed and
adopted by your facility. Administrators are encouraged
to include and integrate as many of the directives that
prove practical (sometimes with modification) into the
guidelines or policy they create.
- Whenever possible, outdoor activities
will be scheduled before 10 a.m. and/or after 4 p.m.
(from March through October). The availability of
shade will be considered when planning such activities
during this time frame.
- For all outdoor activities occurring
on sunny (non-rainy) days (especially between 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.), children and youth will be encouraged
to:
- Play in shaded areas.
- Wear full-length clothing that includes:
- four-inch or more wide-brimmed hats that,
when worn, create a shadow that completely
covers the head, face, and neck.
(Flappy-jacks, patterned somewhat like a baseball
hat with neck flaps, may prove a practical
alternative.)
- long-sleeved shirts and full-length pants
made of tightly woven fabric that is lightweight
and light colored. (This strategy applies
when temperatures are reasonable.)
- Wear sunglasses that protect from 100 percent
of UVA & UVB (broad-spectrum). UV-protective coatings
should be added to prescription glasses.
- Fifteen minutes before going outside, apply a
SPF 30 or greater broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB), water-resistant
sunscreen to exposed skin.
- Use lip balm that has a SPF rating of at least
30.
- A grounds committee (or other appointed
group) will develop and implement, according to an
established time table (specify), a plan to place
sufficient trees and/or construct shelters that provide
shade sufficient for protecting people that engage
in outdoor activities occurring at __________. (Note:
In most cases, the preferred location for providing
shade will be along the borders of recognized play
areas or sports fields. This will allow children and
staff to easily access shade when they are not actively
engaged in a field sport or other activities.)
- A parent
or guardian will provide the above described (choose...)
hat, full-length clothing, sun glasses, and sunscreen.
Additionally, the parent or guardian will be encouraged
to sign and present to __________ the Parent's/Guardian's
Permission to Apply Sunscreen to His or Her Child
form (see Appendix Two in the California Early Childhood
Sun Protection Curriculum) that permits site staff
to apply sunscreen to specified children as necessary.
- Sun-protection (skin cancer prevention)
training and materials will be provided to staff and
parents to assist in the introduction and implementation
of these guidelines.
- While on duty, staff is encouraged
to practice sun-safety principles/strategies to serve
as good role models for children.
- These guidelines will be communicated
and reinforced to staff, students, and parents through
notices, newsletters, and meetings, etc., and above
all - site PRACTICE
- Site staff will conduct an annual review of the sun-safety guidelines and the degree to which staff and children practice skin cancer prevention behaviors, onsite.
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