To remind Americans about sun-safe behaviors the Environmental Protection Agency's SunWise Program and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day.”
“Many people believe skin cancer occurs after a lifetime of exposure, and yet, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer for young adults 15-29 years of age,” said Dr. Henry Lim, council co-chair. “In the last 30 years, the number of women under age 40 diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma has more than doubled while the squamous cell carcinoma rate has also increased significantly.”
A large part of the first-ever Don't Fry Day is set to focus on children and families, and educational materials and information are available from both the EPA and NCOSCP.
The EPA is also targeting the 10 states with the highest number of new melanoma cases by releasing state-specific skin cancer fact sheets for Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington. Additionally, Salt Lake County, Utah will become a SunWise Community, the newest member of a national program of eight communities that encourage sun safety on the part of their citizens.
