stop children's sunburn - lower the risk of skin cancer

Along with the clinical and charitable alliance Skin Cancer UK (SCUK) we the undersigned petition the Government to • introduce a mandatory, enforceable, policy on sun safety based on national guidelines for UV exposure for all schools • ensure the Sun SAFETY messages is be mandatory in British schools and that all school staff have a responsibility to ensure the sun safety of all children “The evidence shows that sunburn as a child, when the skin is most sensitive, doubles the risk of developing skin cancer later in life, so it’s worrying to learn that so many of our children are getting burned at school. While I don’t advocate avoiding the sun altogether, young children must be protected from the heat of the sun, particularly in the middle of the day during summer months,” commented Dr Andrew Wright, consultant dermatologist, St Luke’s Hospital Bradford. While the majority of skin cancers are treatable, the most deadly form (malignant melanoma) kills over 2,000 people in the UK each year, with all skin cancers killing a total of more than 2,500people annually.