European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Skin needs Protection from steady dose of rays by Sally Squires the Washington Post of Many people develop skin cancer annually for years doctors and Public health officials have struggled to calculate that figure but were hampered by the fact that the vast majority of skin cancers a perhaps As Many As 97 percent a go unreported. Now As millions of americans Are preparing for the summer months and their greatest Sun exposure scientists believe they have a better handle on the statistics. A study released last month by Boston University researchers estimated 1 million americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year. The researchers estimated that As Many As one in three. Caucasian americans will develop Basat col skin cancer the kind that afflicted former president Reagan if they. Live to be 75 years old. They also found that one in 11 will develop squamous cell skin cancer at some Point in their lives. Skin cancer is the general term used to describe an array of skin malignancies. Basal and squamous cell skin cancers account for nearly All cases of skin cancer neither Type grows very fast or spreads rapidly. Both Are easily detected and treated. Very rarely is either Type life threatening. Another kind of skin cancer is malignant Melanoma the least common and potentially most dangerous of All skin cancer. Because at least 90 percent of skin cancer is closely a linked to Sun exposure dermatologists and Public health officials said the new findings underscore the importance of being Sun smart. Mod important is to limit exposure trom 10 . To 3 p.m., when rays Are strongest Quot we re not saing in1 a Vampire and Only come out at night said new York University dermatologist Darrell Ore most Sun exposure occurs before age 18, so sunscreen is especially important for the Young. Rigel. Quot if you work outdoors Wear a hat with a wide brim Wear Long sleeved shirts and pants if you can. Use a sunscreen with an spa Sun Protection Factor of 15 or higher and put it on at least 15 minutes before going into the Sun.�?�. The specialists stressed that preventive measures for children particularly caucasian youngsters Are important to Stop the increase in the disease. But he added that while african americans and other people with Darker complexions have More natural Protection against ski n cancer anyone can develop the disease. Quot unfortunately although trends May. Change we see no evidence that the skin cancer epidemic has peaked Quot Woi Slock said. The findings Are based on data collected at eight National cancer Institute Survey locations in the United states. Also included in the calculations Are data from the Kaiser Permanente health maintenance organization of Portland ore., where a skin cancer registry began in 1960, and from British Columbia which has recorded All skin cancer data from its population since 1971. Instilling Safe Sun habits should Start Early a even if it in t easy. File Quot but the Glt Rod news i that Voith education Early detection and prevention we. Should in theory be Able to eliminate a lot of this if not All of it Quot said Howard k. Koh director of cancer prevention and control at Boston University medical Center and chairman of the skin cancer screening task Force for the american Academy of dermatology a 1994 National Survey conducted for the Academy found that 59 percent of americans consider a Tan a sign of health and think it generally enhances appearances. Yet a Golden glow from the Sun is really a sign of skin damage that can never be repaired. Sunburns produce even More damage As they sear the top skin layers. The vast majority of lifetime Sun exposure occurs before age 18, which is Why the Academy of dermatology and the skin cancer foundation urge parents to protect their children from infancy. Sunscreens Are not recommended however for babies less than 6 months of age because of possible skin irritation instilling Safe Sun habits Early a especially regular use of sunscreen seeking Shade during Peak hours and wearing protective clothing a often establishes Safe habits Lor a sit time. Quot anybody can get skin cancer Quot said Koh who has been applying sunscreen religiously to his three children since hey were Young. As asian americans Koh said his family s risk of skin cancer is less. Yet Quot everybody should. Have some level of Sun  Vahi e Sun induced skin damage can t be reversed it May be possible to  Progress of changes that results in skin cancer a study of 76 non Melanoma skin cancer patients published last week in the new England journal of Medicine found those who adhered to a Low fat diet after diagnosis significantly reduced the risk of developing new actinic keratosis a pre cancerous skin lesions. Malignant the most serious skin cancer is malignant Melanoma. While relatively rare Melanoma s incidence Quot is rising faster than any other cancer Quot said Howard k. Koh director of cancer prevention and control at Boston University medical Center. The rate of new cases increased 321 percent Between 1950 and 1989. Malignant Melanoma arises from Mela oocytes cells in the Bottommost part of the epidermis the top layer of the skin. They release the protein Melanin which gives skin its color and protects against sunlight giving skin its Tan. For reasons not yet understood malignant Melanoma spreads rapidly to nearby Lymph nodes where it gains ready Access to the entire body through the Lymph system. Detected at less than one sixteenth of an Inch thick and less than a dime in diameter Melanoma can be cured in 92 percent of cases specialists said. But with delayed diagnosis five year survival rates drop dramatically. Only about 14 percent of those with Distant spread live five years after diagnosis. Quot the Bottom line is that the death rate from Melanoma is rising despite everything that we Are doing Quot said Darrell Rigel assistant professor of dermatology at new York University. Among the people who have the greatest risk of Melanoma include those who have a family member. Diagnosed with the disease according to the skin cancer foundation. Also at increased risk Are people who experienced painful or blistering sunburns As children or teen agers those who have unusual moles on their skin or moles that change often and people with fair skin Light hair and Eye color who sunburn easily or Tan with. Difficulty. A a a. Quot.  signs of Melanoma Are moles or spots on the skin that have asymmetrical Borders uneven colors and Large diameters. A a a the Washington Post a shopper tests sunglasses for fit look and Protection before deciding on which to buy. Filo. The Sun is out a sunbathe or works on her Tan on an israeli Beach. From wire reports looking Cool in the broiling Sun Voith stylish shades is often a More compelling reason to buy sunglasses than finding lenses that protect the eyes. But As scientists Zero in on the Sun s a ultraviolet radiation As a cause of Eye damage health officials Are paying More attention to the design of sunglasses to make. Sure they screen out the More harmful rays. The emphasis is shifting from style to Protection Quot said Dick Enholm chairman of the statistical committee for the Norwalk  sunglass association of America a Trade group. The Federal food and drug administration plans to strengthen Labelling standards so that All sunglasses would provide More Protection against ultraviolet radiation the invisible portion of sunlight considered harmful to skin and eyes. 5 ultraviolet Light includes ultraviolet a which is responsible for the production of Vitamin d in the skin and the tanning and burning effects of sunlight and ultraviolet a which has been implicated in causing skin cancer and cataracts. / Quot we want sunglasses to Block 99 percent of ultraviolet b Quot said Philip White director of the Fra s office of standards and regulations. To achieve that goal Fra officials Drew up a letter to All sunglass manufacturers and distributors requiring the product to allow no More than 1 percent of ultraviolet b to pass through and to carry a Label to that effect White said. The guidelines followed studies showing a link Between ultraviolet radiation and Eye damage specifically cataracts. While the scientific evidence is controversial a number of scientists Are convinced. Quot the evidence showing a link Between sunlight and cataracts is As Strong As the evidence Between smoking and lung cancer and i see no reason Why we should not treat it the same Way Quot said Donald a Pitts a prov it or of environmental vision and optometry at the University of Houston Quot we should protect the Public if we . One study of More than 800 fishermen from the Chesapeake Bay area specifically measured he Gioupis exposure to sunlight to see if ultraviolet b could cause. Cataracts a clouding of the Lens of the Eye thut blinds an estimated 20 million people worldwide and results in about 1.5 million Cataract operations in the United states. The results published in 1988, found that regular to heavy exposure to sunlight can make a person three times As Likely to develop cataracts. The effect seems to be cumulative meaning people with a greater exposure to sunlight have an increased risk of developing cataracts said Sheila k. West an associate professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University. Another Eye problem linked to sunlight is Macular degeneration a disorder affecting the Retina that causes a gradual loss of vision Fici is the Peatling cause of blindness in people Over 65. A Survey of More than 4,500 people living in Beaver dam wis., published in the archives of. Ophthalmology last year found that sunlight was a Factor in the development of Macular degeneration in men. But it is not Only old eyes that can be damaged by the Sun. Many parents concerned about the effects of ultraviolet radiation on the Eye Are seeking to protect their children s eyes too. Children should Wear sunglasses Quot in prolonged or intense sunlight a the Beach Pool sled and ski slopes Quot said or Gerhard Cibis chief of ophthalmology at children s mercy Hospital in Kansas City to Quot anytime you d put Sun Block on a child put sunglasses on too Quot. He explained that infants and children Lack pigment in the Lens of the Eye which helps filter ultraviolet rays. Thus More ultraviolet rays reach the Retina of a baby than reach the Retina of an adult. Quot a but doctors say that some sunglass manufacturers Are taking advantage of the warning Quot Many manufacturers use tactics to make parents Scantl that if they do not put their infant and toddler into sunglasses their child won t be Able to see in adulthood Quot said or. Robert Gross a paediatric ophthalmologist at Cook fort Worth children s medical Center in Texas. Quot there s Insu Alicent data to warrant mandating that All infants ind Small children must Wear sunglasses at All times. However it certainly would not Hurt a child to Wear them when in the Sun for Long  infants under 6 months Are usually protected adequately by hats umbrellas and stroller canopies. A hat alone can Cut the amount of ultraviolet exposure to a strolling toddler by 30 percent. Quot the baby in the Carriage really does not need them Quot said or. Charles Merker a Manhattan ophthalmologist who specializes in children Quot they dose their eyes when buying sunglasses look for a tag stating that they contain polycarbonate lenses approved by the american National standards Institute a testing organization As meeting Industry standards for Impact redstart a. Try buy York Smej an a i  o   to trs in 20 the stars and stripes tuesday june 21, 1994 the stars and stripes 21