German Cancer Aid
Bonn (ots)
Spring is here and the longing for sunlight and warmth is great. Even if the hot months are still to come, UV protection is already required. Due to climate change, the month of April is much sunnier and warmer than before. So-called low ozone events, which are associated with unusually high UV radiation, can also occur more frequently in this month. To protect against skin cancer, it is therefore important to gently get the skin used to the sun. Interested parties can find information material for different age groups at www.krebshilfe.de order free of charge.
Climate change is already having a noticeable impact on human health through summer heat and extreme weather events. Just as real, but often underestimated, is the danger of increased UV radiation due to longer periods of sunshine over the course of the year. According to records from the German Weather Service, April, for example, has become significantly sunnier and warmer in recent decades. This can result in people spending more time and longer outdoors, and increasing their skin exposure to UV rays. “Protect yourself sufficiently in the sun and reduce your risk of skin cancer in the long term,” recommends Gerd Nettekoven, CEO of the German Cancer Aid.
UV protection particularly needed during low ozone events
In the course of climate change, weather experts are also increasingly observing “low-ozone events” in spring. During this weather phenomenon, low-ozone air flows from the Arctic to Europe and occasionally leads to unusually high UV values. Predicting these complex events is difficult and only possible in the short term. The UV index (UVI) provides up-to-date information about the expected intensity of solar radiation. Among other things, he is Federal Office for Radiation Protection and the German Weather Service published.
UV radiation causes skin cancer
If UV rays hit unprotected skin, damage occurs in the genome of skin cells within seconds. “A sophisticated endogenous repair system recognizes and repairs this damage to a certain extent very well,” explains Professor Dr. Eckhard Breitbart, Chairman of the Working Group on Dermatological Prevention (ADP). With increased UV radiation, however, damaged cells remain, from which skin cancer can develop in the long term. “You have to think of our skin as a collective account that we burden with more and more UV damage over the course of our lives.”
UV protection as a task for society as a whole
The German Cancer Aid and the ADP have been raising public awareness of UV protection for more than three decades: through target group-specific information materials and educational campaigns. One example is the nationwide cooperation project “CLEVER IN SUN AND SHADOW”, which is aimed at daycare centers, primary and secondary schools, sports clubs and medical practices. “UV protection is not just a private matter, it is a challenge for us as a whole,” says Nettekoven. “Through knowledge transfer, sufficient shade, flexible daily schedules with high UV radiation intensities and structural measures, a wide variety of social actors can actively contribute to protection against skin cancer.”
PRACTICAL TIPS
You can do this personally:
Check the UV Index daily
The internationally valid UV index (UVI) helps to assess UV radiation correctly. It is indicated on many weather apps and can be called up daily via the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) or the German Weather Service (DWD). Based on the traffic light principle, the UV index provides protection information from a UVI of 3.
Slowly get your skin used to the sun and use shade
As tempting as the first days of sunshine are: Make sure that you gently get your skin used to the sun by staying briefly outside. If possible, avoid the midday sun with a UV index of 3 and use shade.
Wear proper clothing, including sunglasses and a hat
Shoulders, neck, décolleté as well as forehead, nose, scalp and ears are particularly exposed to UV rays. Cover them with clothing, including a hat. Sunglasses prevent eye damage as well as conjunctivitis and corneal inflammation.
Use sunscreen as a supplement
Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 30 (UVA and UVB protection) on all exposed parts of the body. Apply cream more often. Protect infants up to 12 months of age primarily with shade and clothing, and avoid sunscreen.
Society can do this:
Pay attention to UV protection in your living environment
About eight million people work outdoors. Appropriate UV protection must be ensured here as part of occupational safety. This includes above all technical facilities, such as shaded areas, and organizational measures, such as adjusting working hours to the UV index and informing employees. The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)many professional associations and the accident insurance institutions provide information on this. Facilities for children and young people such as schools and day-care centers can find practical suggestions and materials in the “CLEVER IN SUN AND SHADOW” project of the German Cancer Aid to implement UV protection in their facility.
Find out about UV protection in the context of architecture and urban planning
The German Cancer Aid and the Working Group on Dermatological Prevention are working together with other experts in the field UV protection alliance, which is coordinated by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). in one policy paper the alliance defines measures and requirements for the prevention of health damage caused by the sun in the city and in the country. It takes UV protection and protection against heat stress into account as part of an overall strategy.
Also the S3 guideline “Prevention of skin cancer” of the oncological guideline program of the German Cancer Aid, the German Cancer Society and the Working Group of Scientific Medical Societies takes up the topic of climate change and urban development.
Press contact:
German Cancer Aid
press office
Buschstr. 32
53113 Bonn
Telephone: 02 28/7 29 90-96
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.krebshilfe.de
Original content from: Deutsche Krebshilfe, transmitted by news aktuell
