Skin cancer prevention begins in childhood

Sunburn in childhood is one of the primary causes of skin cancer. Although sunburn is easily avoidable, the number of cancer cases has been increasing for years. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) refers to this in its new annual report. Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks therefore warns against neglecting sun protection for children. "Skin cancer prevention begins in childhood," says Hendricks, following publication of the BfS report. "Parents bear particular responsibility here. Precisely in holiday periods, they should pay fastidious attention to sun protection for their children. Skin becoming painfully red at the end of a sunny day by the sea or lake can happen quickly - and this can lay the foundation for later skin cancer."

The focus of the BfS annual report is the pathway from science to precautionary health and consumer protection. "The question of how scientific-technical expertise from the BfS can be transposed into concrete benefit for citizens has increased in significance since the founding of the BfS," says BfS President Wolfram König. "UV protection is a good example here. It has become common knowledge that UV radiation from the sun causes skin cancer but appropriate action does not necessarily follow. So UV protection for children is an absolute Must: they need sun protection long before they can decide about it for themselves. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection has for years been drawing attention to the health risks of UV radiation and offers practical possibilities for sun protection."

The Ministry offers particular provision to those who are able to contribute fundamentally to responsible interaction with the sun: schools and nurseries. The BfS has designed teaching material especially for them on UV radiation, effects and protection - and this can of course also be used by parents and grandparents. The BfS also offers further training in which teachers and carers can acquire further knowledge. The infomobil also makes bespoke provision for schools and nurseries. UV knowledge for children is available on the BfS internet site.

"The Federal Environment Ministry supports the efforts of the BfS in greater UV protection. The BfS sets itself the challenge of leaving behind the scientific and official jargon and speaking about sun protection in universally understood language," says Minister Hendricks. "Sunshine - but safely!" says the motto, which is the heading for all BfS activities connected with UV protection.

The BfS annual report

Alongside selected topics of precautionary health and consumer protection, the BfS annual report highlights further current focuses and challenges of radiation protection. These include:

• Consequences of the reactor accident in Fukushima,
• Location selection procedures for a repository for highly radioactive waste,
• Research cooperations and networks with international partners,
• Temporary storage and transport of radioactive materials,
• Quality assurance of radioactivity measurements.

The BfS annual report is available online at www.bfs.de/de/bfs/publikationen/berichte/jb/jb_2013.html.

The seven most important sun regulations for children

Cover up!

Your best protection is loose, comfortable clothing: T-shirt, trousers or skirt to below the knees, shoes and a hat with a brim or a neck covering are just right.

Sunglasses are cool!

Your eyes are best protected with cool sunglasses that also fit closely to the sides of your head. Sunglasses should bear a mark stating "UV 400" or "100 % UV" and Cat 2 or Cat 3. The glasses should be shaded grey or brown.

Put on sun cream!

All uncovered skin should have sun cream generously applied at least half an hour before going outside. Don't forget your forehead, nose, ears, lips, neck, shoulders, hands, knees and the soles of your feet! Use sun cream with at least a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30. If you have particularly sensitive skin, the SPF should be even higher. The sun cream should protect against UV-A and UV-B - this is noted on the sun cream.

Don't forget to reapply!

Don’t forget to reapply your sun cream! Sweating, swimming, drying, playing on the sand - and sun cream is gone!

Take a sun break between 11 and 3!

Around midday, when it is really hot, the UV radiation is also at its highest. Stay in the shade around midday or better still, go indoors. It is cool indoors and sunburn won’t catch you out.

Be a shade seeker!

Sunshine is super - but your skin doesn't like too much! Seek out a shady place from time to time!

Don’t forget to have a drink!

Your body loses a great deal of moisture through sweating. This must be replaced - so drink plenty to keep you feeling well. Water is best!