Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer About to Take Center Stage

U-V-Block, a new product from Atsko/SNO-SEAL, provides a practical alternative that every parent and every outdoor enthusiast should know about. U-V-Block is a permanent treatment that you spray on clothing to create an ultraviolet barrier. Most of your favorite lite summer fabrics offer very little protection. A white cotton knit like a "T" shirt may provide a UPF of only 5 when dry and even less when it is wet or stretched. U-V-Block can provide UPF up to 50+ depending on the fabric.

There is no need for me to give you the headlines and quote statistics of morbidity and mortality. These will be coming from every direction. Visit a web site on Skin Cancer, American Cancer Society, American Sun Protection Association or any related topic and you will know the danger is real and serious.

Many of you have direct knowledge, perhaps too direct, but the majority mindset has been to ignore it. We all know that a tanned body looks healthier and a constituency has grown to profit from this view.

Now as the human and healthcare costs accelerate, behavior will be changed and we can assist, resist, or just exist. To make a positive contribution you must understand the alternatives.

Staying out of the sun totally is completely unrealistic and would signal the end of the enjoyment of the outdoors, as we know it because exposure can be dangerous even on a cloudy day.

The use of sunscreen is important and may never be replaced for the face and hands, but it is surprisingly more expensive and less effective when you try to protect the rest of the body. Just read the instructions.

"Apply 20 minutes before exposure". How does this happen when a runner, cyclist, roofer, or any outdoor competitor rips off his shirt without breaking stride as it becomes too hot for optimum performance.

"Reapply every 30 minutes if perspiring or swimming". I count 8 applications in 4 hours.

"Apply liberally, 1 ounce will cover a typical adult". At $8 per bottle, a family of 4 should apply $64 per day or $400 for a one-week vacation. Most people will get far less protection than advertised. Even when limited to the face and hands this represents significant cost and chemical exposure.

Protective clothing is the only effective alternative, but LIGHTWEIGHT WHITE CLOTHING OFFERS ALMOST NO PROTECTION. Wearing heavy opaque clothing can be so uncomfortable as to be abandoned each day by the time the sun reaches a dangerous angle.

Specially designed clothes that are tested and labeled for UV protection are enormously expensive ($70-80 per shirt) but they can be comfortable while being protective. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has just finished a guide to the preparation and labeling of UV protective fabrics. It is available at www.astm.org. In a few years UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) rated clothes will begin to show up at the discounters, but for the present they are unlikely to be found on the fast growing little tykes who have the greatest need for protection and spend the most time in the sun.

Other countries are ahead of the USA in this area. In Australia, for example, children on playgrounds are protected by hats and long sleeved shirts in the middle of summer. Their OSHA requires that employers provide sun protective clothing for outdoor workers. Cancer prevention need not be mutually exclusive and a love of the out-of-doors.

Ultraviolet protection will receive so much coverage that we may tire of the subject. When you really you are ready for effice practical and economical protection for your self and your loved ones, choose U-V-Block for permanent UVA and UVB Protection

The unique perspective and practical solutions you can provide will save lives.