No fun in the sun
'Over a third of parents admit sunburn slip despite warnings.' So declared Cancer Research UK on 9 May 2004, as it published a survey suggesting that, while most parents know that children should be protected from sunburn, many of them do not take the necessary precautions. Also, most parents are unaware how quickly children can start to burn, and 41 per cent think that it is desirable for children to have a tan. According to Cancer Research's press release, 'Children's skin is much more delicate than adults' and research shows that sunburn in childhood can double the risk of getting skin cancer later in life'.
Avoiding sunburn is a good idea for both adults and children, not least because it hurts. But it is doubtful whether avoiding the sun improves life expectancy.
The most common forms of skin cancer (basal-cell or squamous-cell carcinomas) are clearly related to sun exposure. But they are also highly treatable and rarely serious, as the Cancer Research website confirms. The relationship between malignant melanomas, which are far more serious, and sunlight is less clear. For example, melanomas tend to appear on areas of the body that are less likely to be exposed to the sun. Rates for melanoma in Japan are comparable to those in the UK, even though there is no tradition of sunbathing in Japan.
Claims of parental neglect possibly leading to the early death of their offspring are greatly exaggerated. Melanomas in the young are rare. In the case of malignant melanomas, 88 per cent of deaths in England and Wales in 2002 were in patients over 45. So if there is a link at all, it is unlikely to affect people until later in life.
What is striking is how one panic contradicts another, to the extent that it seems there is no safe course of action. Apparently if our children play in the sun they run the risk of skin cancer or abduction - but apparently if they stay indoors, watching TV or playing computer games, they can look forward to becoming obese victims of heart disease or diabetes. There is even evidence to suggest that some exposure to sunshine may be valuable in helping to counteract cancer.
The fact is that health campaigns, for the most part, have been unsuccessful in changing adult behaviour - though they have succeeded in increasing anxiety levels. So now health campaigners seem to be upping the ante, along the lines of, 'If you tolerate this, your children will be next'. Parents would be best advised to use their own judgement and ignore such scaremongering.
Children 'at risk of skin cancer', BBC News, 9 May 2004
Don't panic: Getting burned
Enjoy your moment in the sun, by Mick Hume, The Times (London), 28 July 2003
Vitamin D may have preventive properties against cancer, The Scientist, 24 August 2000
First published on spiked:spiked-central | Panic | Don't panic