Metro schools shine spotlight on early lessons in sun safety Posted Sunday, May 29, 2005 by arjuna


Classes show kids how to prevent skin cancer by minimizing harmful sun
exposure.

By Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News

LIVONIA -- Eight-year-old Andrea Hall and her sister, Laura, 5, squiggle
and squirm when their mom applies sunscreen.

But as the summer outdoor season kicks off, Ginny Hall of Livonia is
determined to protect her children from the sun's ultraviolet rays,
which can cause skin cancer.

"It's hard for them to stand still; they especially don't want it on
their face," Ginny Hall said. "They don't want to stop playing to have
it put on. But my husband wears it, I wear it; it's just a ritual.

"Bottom line: We know it's what's best for them."

The girls attend Garfield Elementary in Livonia, one of 10 schools to
receive "Sun Safety" grants through the Michigan Parent Teacher Student
Association. The grants originated through the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society.

The CDC and the society have made fighting skin cancer a national
priority. It is now the most common form of cancer in the United States.
The society last year estimated 1.6 million new cases of skin cancer and
about 9,800 skin cancer deaths in the United States.

Prevention efforts are focusing on kids, because sun exposure during
childhood can cause skin cancer in adulthood, according to Amy Malow,
director of sun safety for the American Cancer Society.

"A substantial amount of sun exposure occurs between the ages of zero
and 18; skin cancer does not happen because I got a burn last year,"
Malow said. "When you get exposed during your childhood, you're more
likely to develop it years later."

Adams Elementary in Livonia, Lathers Elementary in Garden City, O.L.
Smith Middle School in Dearborn, Northwood Elementary in Royal Oak and
Bailey Lake Elementary in Clarkston are among Metro Detroit schools who
received $500 grants.

While it's not a lot of money, sponsors hope it will raise skin cancer
awareness. They have used the money to publish newsletters and fliers,
hold special events and hand out sun safety items, such as sunscreen,
T-shirts and sunglasses, all with the goal of reducing kids' chances of
getting cancer when they grow up.

At Garfield, a meteorologist will visit this week to help kids do
science experiments that will demonstrate how strong the sun is. The PTA
also used part of its grant money for Frisbees that change color when
exposed to the sun.

Students at Northwood, in Royal Oak, had a sun safety poster contest.
Fifth-grader Emily Collick won the top prize, a $25 gift certificate.

"Every month in the newsletter we had a section on sun safety," said
Northwood PTA President Allison Sykes.

Dearborn's O.L. Smith Middle School also had a poster contest, with
hats, sunscreen, T-shirts, sunglasses and other sun safety items for the
winners.

"Just because they're out there for a few hours in the morning, it
doesn't mean (the sunscreen) is going to stay on all day," said Frances
Masalskis, whose son is in eighth grade at O.L. Smith.

"Lately, he'll put it on if he knows he's going to be out there," she
said of Austin Masalskis, 14. The American Cancer Society estimates
there will be nearly 2,000 new cases of melanoma reported in Michigan in
2005. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is one of the
fastest-growing types of cancer in the United States.

Melanoma accounts for about 4 percent of skin cancer cases, but it
causes about 79 percent of skin cancer deaths.

Dermatologist Raechele Cochran Gathers of Eastside Dermatology in Grosse
Pointe Woods said everyone is vulnerable to the sun, regardless of their
complexion.

"Everyone needs skin protection, no matter what color they are," Cochran
Gathers said. "While it's true that African-Americans or people with
darker skin have lower risk, they certainly do get skin cancer.

"Even the darkest of skin can burn."

Cochran Gathers said parents can coax kids into using sunscreen by
buying Coppertone Water Babies glitter lotion in SPF 30. The company
also makes a green sunscreen spray that smells like kiwi fruit.

Neutrogena makes a sunscreen stick that kids can keep in their pocket,
Cochran Gathers added. Teens with acne should look for brands that say
"noncomedogenic" on the label, meaning it won't clog pores, she said.

Livonia mom Ginny Hall said her PTA will give clip-on bottles of
sunscreen to all of the kids at Garfield Elementary before their school
field day on June 7.

It's all part of the effort to teach kids how important it is to protect
themselves from the sun's harmful rays.

"Before we go out, we're going to go around to the classes and have
every child apply sunscreen," said Hall, who is the health and safety
coordinator for the Garfield PTA. "It's making them aware and making
them understand that it's dangerous to be out without sunscreen."