Prevention of skin cancer is better than a cure, and the Government can do more to ensure New Zealanders are protected from the sun’s rays, Bronwen McNoe argues
Opinion: Today approximately 250 New Zealanders will be told they have skin cancer, and each week about 10 will die as a result. Urgent societal efforts are needed to curb this epidemic of our most common, but highly preventable, cancer.
Although many skin cancers can be successfully treated, the cost to the public health system is eye-watering, estimated as more than $180 million per year for treatment costs alone.
The main cause of skin cancer is too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV), usually sunlight. Strategies that focus on reducing the amount of harmful UV New Zealanders are exposed to is the best way to reduce the burden that skin cancer places on our communities.
For more than two decades New Zealanders have been asked to use sun protection when outside enjoying the sun, and of course we want everyone to continue to “slip, slop, slap, and wrap”. However, getting people to always use sun protection has been very difficult and we still expect that this summer about half of New Zealanders will get sunburnt.
A more effective way of protecting ourselves in the sun is to provide a safe environment as we all go about our everyday lives. This includes providing shade in outdoor settings so we can enjoy the outdoors, without being exposed to harmful levels of UV.
To protect children, shade should be routinely considered and budgeted for as part of the design and upgrade process for playgrounds and outdoor pools by both the Ministry of Education and local body authorities.
The shade scheme recently implemented in Victoria might be of interest where all primary and secondary schools are eligible for a $25,000 shade grant, which funds the creation of outdoor learning spaces, encouraged at this time due to Covid-19. It also has the dual benefit of protecting young people from harmful exposure to UV.
Mitigating the risk of UV exposure for outdoor workers is covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) and Worksafe provides useful guides for both employers and employees on staying safe in the sun. Initiatives like employers providing sun protective hard hats for construction workers or ensuring there is a shady spot for employees to take breaks are all good strategies. It is worth noting that sun protective products for outdoor workers are tax deductible for the employer.
It is particularly important that young people are protected from the sun. As the National Administration Guidelines for schools require a safe environment for students, I urge the Education Review Office to include sun protection as items they check for in schools’ policy documents and practices. This might include ensuring students are wearing hats when outdoors, providing sunscreen at outdoor swimming sports, or encouraging staff to role model good sun protection behaviour.
There are many actions our Government could take in the short term to reduce New Zealanders' UV exposure. First, extend the current legislation to remove sunbeds from our community. Second, regulate sunscreens as a therapeutic product rather than as a cosmetic. Third, investigate ways of reducing the cost of sunscreen possibly through the removal of GST.
My call for action to all New Zealanders is to step up and take sun safety seriously to protect ourselves, our children and our grandchildren from skin cancer – Aotearoa’s most common, but most preventable cancer.
