PTA’s and PTO’s are encouraged to learn more about School policies that promote sun safety and prevent skin cancer through a document produced by the National Association of State Boards of Education. This policy document titled “Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn” - Policies to promote sun safety and prevent skin cancer has informative strategies that schools may adopt to help their campuses be more sun safe.
An alarming fact that I picked up from the article, was the point where The US Federal Government has classified solar radiation as a known human carcinogen. Over exposure to uv rays is amongst the group of agents that cause cancer, included with a list that includes asbestos, arsenic, radon and tobacco smoke. Skin cancer, although preventable, has become the most common type of cancer in the United States, with children being the most vulnerable group, as sun exposure is linked to childhood especially before the age of 10.
To learn more on how your school may become sun safe please access the link here to download the complete document. http://www.nasbe.org/healthyschools/download_pdf/Fit%20Healthy%20Sun%20Safetyw.pdf
Picture showing a covered outdoor basketball court with shade structures. Children may play extended hours and enjoy protection from harsh uv rays.
We are shades ahead since 1998!
In 1998 the AMC Cancer Research Center sponsored by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency undertook a survey on 1000 schools across the country and found an alarmingly low 3.4% of schools had sun protection policies in place in their schools.
The conclusion of the survey showed that the low frequency of sun protection policies and shade structures called for a national effort to change policies and environments to increase sun protection at US schools. At almost the same time as this survey was being conducted, our manufacturing arm TricoUSA, began manufacturing shade structures in the United States, and without hard facts and statisitices we have found that there has been an increased awareness and practice at more and more schools in the country. When we began marketing our products to schools back then we could hardly give our shade structures away, eventually as the awareness grew and the need for sun protection was seen we found schools desiring the structures but were challenged with the required funds to purchase them. It was for this reason we created Shade4Schools fundraising program, to assist schools access these structures and protect children while at play outdoors. For all of us in the shade structure industry, it is so pleasing to see the trend shift and for us to receive market acceptance for our products, it gives us great pleasure to drive by a school and witness a shade structure whether ours or a competitors shielding children as they play.
As we approach the 10 year anniversary of this survey it will be interesting to learn how far we have come and how much more percentage of schools now practice sun protection policies. To view the 1998 report - http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/138/6/771 .
The Environmental Protection Agency together with the National Weather Service have developed the UV Index. This helpful tool allows you to find out what the UV index is for where you are located.
What exactly is the UV index? The UV index is the amount of UV radiation that reaches the earth at any given location.
The earth was created with a layer of ozone to protect and shield us from harmful UV radiation, but over time this layer has depleted as a result of climate change leaving us more vulnerable to the sun’s rays. The depletion of ozone layer varies, and added to that different seasons and weather patterns result in different amounts of UV radiation that reach the Earth. In order to for us to be able to take care and practice sun-safe behavior it is important for us to check the UV index from time to time, especially when we are planning outdoor activities or trips away from home. The reading is done as a prediction of the next day’s ultraviolet raditiation level on a scale ot 1-11. One must also watch out for UV Alerts that are posted by the EPA when predictions of UV levels are unusually high, cautioning us to take extra special care when outdoors.
Try it out, access this link to find out what your UV index is tomorrow, and especially when planning your next picnic! http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html
Most of us believe that once the weather turns and autumn becomes winter, we no longer need to protect our skin from the suns’ harmful uv rays. This is a misconception as uv radiation takes place even on overcast and cloudy days. Year round protection needs to be practiced no matter the season. Dr. Darrell Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at NYU, conducted a survey on women to find out how much they knew about ultraviolet light. The study revealed that most women actually receive more uv exposure than they knew with 16 percent of participants knowing that UVA exposure can actually occur indoors through glass windows, and 18 percent only understood the difference of UVA and UVB rays . To help us understand more about the difference please find below the following information that we hope will help you to understand more about UVA and UVB rays.
The difference between UVA and UVB
- UVA Can Cause: premature aging Risk of Exposure: can penetrate glass windows
- UVB Can Cause: sunburn Risk of Exposure: outdoors & through open windows
- UVA & UVB Can Cause: aging & skin cancer Risk of Exposure: primarily outdoors/all year round
