University of Minnesota Extension Service
There
are three major types of skin cancer:
- Basal
Cell Carcinoma: Most common form. It looks like a clear
spot or small bump that usually forms on the head, neck,
or hand. Size can vary.
- Squamous
Cell Carcinoma: Can start as nodules or as a red, patchy
area. These often develop on the lips, face or tops of the
ears.
- Malignant
Melanoma: Least common, but most deadly.
Use
the ABCD rule in detecting a melanoma.
- Asymmetry:
the two halves look different
- Border
Irregularity: the edges are ragged
- Color:
the color is not uniform
- Diameter:
if it is the size of a pencil eraser or bigger, get it checked
out.
- Don't
go outside between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Wear
a wide-brimmed hat and clothes with a tight weave.
- Wear
sunglasses that filter at least 90 percent of the UV rays
- Use
a sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater
- Do
a monthly mole check to catch melanomas in their early stages:
- Look
for changes in the size, shape, or color of moles or
any red patches.
- Check
your entire body, including between your toes and the
soles of your feet.
- Seek
prompt treatment for suspicious pigmented lesions.
- There
is no such thing as a safe tan. Having a tan is the skin:s
response to injury from ultraviolet (UV) light.
- 600,000
new cases of skin cancer are reported every year. By the
year 2010, more than 1 million new reports of skin cancer
could be reported annually, according to the Skin Cancer
Foundation.
- 95
percent of all skin cancers in the United States are attributed
to exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
- One
in 75 people will develop malignant melanoma in their lifetime.
- Skin
cancer caught in the early stages has almost a 100 percent
cure rate.
- The
annual increase in malignant melanomas was about 7 percent
per year, the most rapidly increasing rate for any cancer
in the United States.
- The
National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin screened
780 people and found that 24 percent of them had a precancerous
condition.
- The
Environmental Protection Agency predicts that for every
1 percent depletion of ozone, there will be a 2 to 5 percent
increase in squamous cell carcinoma and a 1 to 3 percent
increase in basal cell carcinoma.
- Tanning
booths are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration
and can cause the following problems: skin cancer, damage
to the immune system and eyes, first and second degree burns,
and premature aging.
- 50
percent of a person:s lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation
occurs by the time they are 18.
- Don:t
use tanning pills containing canthaxanthin. These pills
are NOT approved for use in the United States and they can
kill you by killing your white and red blood cells.
- Sun
Protection Factor (SPF) is the number that reflects a product:s
ability to block ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. It does
not indicate an ability to block ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation.
- UVB
rays affect the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin.
UVA rays penetrate to the dermis and alter skin fibers,
remove moisture and elasticity, and can enhance the cancer-causing
potential of UVB rays.
- To
block UVA rays, look for sunscreens that contain Parsol
1789 (avobenzone).
- SPF
15 means the sunscreen will protect your skin 15 times longer
from UVB than if sunscreen was not used. The actual amount
of time will vary from person to person, their altitude,
and proximity to the equator.
- SPF
15 blocks 95 percent of the UVB wavelengths. SPF 30 is NOT
twice as good. It only provides another 3 percent of protection.
- It
takes 1 oz. of sunscreen to cover an adult.
- Sunscreen
should be applied 20 to 30 minutes before going out in the
sun so it has a chance to bond with the skin.
- Consumer
Reports says waterproof sunscreen is better than water-resistant
sunscreen. It also says less expensive sunscreens are as
effective as more expensive sunscreens.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
fact sheet was produced under Cooperative Agreement U05/CCU7060804-01
between the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
and the University of Missouri.
University
Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia, Agricultural Engineering
Department.
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