Skin Cancer (Hansard, 18 May 2000)

§ Yvette Cooper

We are taking a number of measures to educate the public regarding the dangers of skin cancer:

We are producing this summer a range of new posters and a fact sheet on sun protection which is available from Health Promotion England Customer Services, Marston Book Service, P.O. Box 269, Abingdon, Oxford OX14 4YN.

We will continue the Sun Know How website currently at: http://www.hea.org.uk/campaigns/sun-know-how/index.html while sun awareness information for schoolchildren is available on the Wired for Health website: www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk

This summer, we are continuing to fund the Meteorological Office to provide information about the Solar UV Index in forecasts tailored specifically for television and radio weather presenters.

Ultraviolet radiation can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer. Sunlight is the main source of ultraviolet radiation. The Chief Medical Officer's advice is: Babies of all skin colours should be kept out of direct sunlight. White skinned people (especially those whose skin burns easily) need to take great care when out in the sun. Sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer—cover up, use a sunscreen of factor 15 or more and avoid the midday sun during the summer months. Brown skinned people have a much lower risk of sunburn in the UK but still need to take care if the sun is very strong. Cover up, seek shade and use a high factor sunscreen in hot climates. Black skinned people are unlikely to burn and have a very low risk of skin cancer, but too much sun can cause wrinkles and premature aging for people of all skin colours. Everybody can suffer from heat exhaustion and dehydration, so if the sun is hot drink plenty of water and moisturise dry skin. Look out for moles that change shape or colour; become bigger, itchy or inflamed; that weep or bleed. These may be symptoms of skin cancer and should be checked.