HHS HealthBeat (June 15, 2007)

Sun safety

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Sun is good for plants and other living things, including us. Too much sun, though, can be trouble – from a burn to skin cancer. Sun safety is important for all of us.

At the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Lila Finney Rutten reports on findings from the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey, known as HINTS. This survey assessed how much people do what’s recommended for sun safety.

"What we found in the survey is that the level of sun protection is actually fairly low, with only about half of the population engaging in these behaviors at least some of the time." (12 seconds)

Everyone is at risk; protect your skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, wearing protective clothing, and avoiding mid-day sun.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: June, 20 2007