With one in five Americans developing skin cancer, childhood education about sun safety is a vital step toward reducing risk and improving public health. In response to this serious health issue, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and schools across the country are teaming up in the SunWise School Program. SunWise teaches elementary and middle school children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun.
Why teach children about sun protection? Overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays seriously threatens human health. Besides the immediate effect of sunburn, over time excess UV radiation can cause skin cancer, eye damage, immune system suppression, and premature aging. Children are highly susceptible to harmful UV radiation, since 80 percent of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. Just one or two blistering sunburns in childhood may double the risk of developingmelanoma. Teaching children about sun safety is the key to reducing risk of future health problems.
Participating schools will sponsor activities that raise children's awareness of the largely preventable health risks from UV radiation and teach simple steps to avoid overexposure. Such activities may include:
Reporting the UV Index daily on this Web site.
Educating children about stratospheric ozone, ozone depletion, and UV radiation.
Sponsoring 'Safe Fun in the Sun' days.
Providing shade cover in outdoor areas.
Inviting health professionals, environmentalists, and meteorologists to speak with school children.
Participating schools will receive a variety of interactive program materials to help them implement these and other activities. Among the materials available will be informational brochures, cross-curricular classroom lessons, resourcelists for teachers, a Web-based learning site, hand-held UV monitors, and more. Participants will be able to share their ideas for projects and check the progress of others on this Web site. Beginning in May, 1999, pilot schools across the country will test these program materials and begin implementing sun protection practices. The program will be launched nationwide in 2000.
"Students at morrison labs, California, are using technology to explore the science behind SunWise. Greg Morrison's science class uses many tools, including the Internet, CD-ROMs, videos, and laboratory experiments to collect, report, and analyze UV-related data. In a favorite class activity, students use hand-held UV monitors, available from EPA, to measure the intensity of UV rays at ground level. After gathering this data, the students can upload their results to the SunWise Web site.
With the help of the local Rotary Club's Teacher Mini Grant Program, Morrison runs another popular experiment using UV-sensitive beads to teach students about the sun's UV rays and the effects of UV radiation on human skin and health. Outside, students observe the beads changing from clear, lightcolors to darker colors, corresponding to the strength of the sun's UV rays. The students then examine and record the effectiveness of different types of sun protection, covering the beads with sunscreens of various SPF levels, sunglasses, wet and dry clothing, and plastic.
In addition, Morrison uses video tapes of national newscasts about the ozone layer, which further demonstrate the scope and breadth of the subject. All these sun-science activities and students' work are featured on Morrison's class Web site, <www.morrisonlabs.com>."
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