&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Radiation
(6205J)
EPA430-F-00-008
April 2000
www.epa.gov/sunwise
the
It's hard to believe
that summer is just
around the corner.
Of course, that
means a break from
school, summer vacations,
and lots more time spent
outside enjoying the
warm, sunny weather.
Now more than ever, it is
important to properly pro-
tect ourselves from the
damaging ultraviolet (UV)
rays of the sun. Skin can-
cer has been on the rise
and is one of the most
prevalent and serious cur-
rent public health prob-
lems. In fact, in the
United States alone, we
can expect more than
1 million nonmelanoma
cancers to be diagnosed
this year. Nonmelanoma
skin cancer is the most
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SunWise Monitor
Help Identify Write Education Need;
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20
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n Pre-test
n Post-test
SPF UV Index Hats &
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Knowledge Variables
(May 1999 Pilot)
100
40
Age of Student Respondents
(May 1999 Pilot)
tudent surveys are
helping the
SunWise School
Program understand
important information
about children's sun-
protection knowledge,
attitudes, and potential
behaviors that will help
guide education efforts.
For example, did you
know that children are
more likely to use sun-
screen when they are
younger than when they
get older? This reinforces
the need to continue sun-
protection education with
students in higher grades.
This information was
gleaned from a survey of
more than 1,000 students
(ages 5 to 15) across the
country. To develop a
benchmark and analyze
students' knowledge, atti-
tudes, and intended
behaviors about sun pro-
tection, teachers from
12 of 25 schools partici-
pating in the SunWise
School Program submitted
student surveys both
before and after using the
SunWise learning tools.
"What we found in the
pretest presents many
challenges—less than 20
percent of the students at
SunWise schools used
sunscreen, sunglasses, or
shirts before the program
was conducted, and more
than 70 percent of stu-
dents had at least one sun-
burn in the previous year,"
said Alan Geller, Associate
Director of Boston
University's Cancer
Prevention and Control
Center, who developed the
survey.
"At the pretest, many chil-
dren did not know what
number SPF to use or the
value of hats and shirts,"
Geller said. After teachers
used SunWise materials to
educate their students,
however, a post-test survey
showed that their knowl-
edge of the following state-
ments markedly increased:
• I know the correct SPF
number to use (pretest,
59 percent, post-test,
83 percent).
• I have to use the most
sun protection when
the UV Index is 10
(pretest, 38 percent,
post-test, 62 percent).
• Wearing a hat and shirt
outside are ways to pro-
tect myself from the sun
(pretest, 65 percent,
post-test, 81 percent).
(See top graph at left.)
As for their attitudes,
although fewer students
thought a suntan was good
for their skin after learning
SunWise concepts, the
number who thought
"people look healthy with
a suntan" did not change
significantly from the
pretest to the post-test.
This shows that it requires
continued efforts to change
people's attitudes.
Although the survey didn't
test how students actually
behaved in the sun, it did
test their intended prac-
tices before and after
learning about SunWise
behaviors. Significantly
more students said they
would try to play in the
shade after receiving
SunWise education, while
the overall percentage of
those who said they would
wear sunscreen this sum-
mer did not change.
According to Geller, this
issue was age: the older
children surveyed were
less likely to say they
would use sunscreen than
the younger children, even
after they learned more
about it. (See lower graph
at left.)
These surveys will help
guide the SunWise School
Program in improving its
overall approach and tar-
geting various age groups.
"Evaluation is very practi-
cal," Geller said. "It's a
guide for developing new
education programs."
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SunWise Monitor
melanoma. Between the two episodes, I have had approxi-
mately six surgeries for skin cancer and other biopsy
exploratory procedures.
What other steps did you take to cope with your
diagnosis?
I became a vocal advocate for sun protection. I speak to
kids and young adults all the time to try to convince them
that having a tan, which is really just having damaged
skin, is not worth the consequences of having cancer. I
use sunscreen every day no matter what the weather is
like and wear a wide-brimmed hat when I play golf. I take
the utmost precaution and want to share my story so that
other young people do not have to go through what I did.
What measures can people take to protect them-
selves from sun damage and avoid skin cancer?
Cover up. Use sunscreen correctly. Apply sunscreen 30
minutes before sun exposure and reapply after 1 to 2
hours of exposure. Wear long sleeve shirts, sun-protective
eyeglasses and sunglasses, and wide-brimmed hats. Avoid
sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Develop a
daily sun protection routine. For me, that means keeping
my sunscreen right next to my toothpaste. When I wash
my face and brush my teeth in the morning I put on my
sunscreen. It's that simple.
You're very active with advocacy work related to
children and young adults with all types of cancer.
Tell us more about The Ulman Cancer Fund for
Young Adults.
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults was formed to
provide support, education, and resources to young adults,
their families, and friends who are affected by cancer. This
involves support groups, survivors' networks and informa-
tion, as well as education and prevention services for young
people to teach them early detection and prevention.
...I want to do
everything possible
to help others
understand the
fragility of life and
the importance of
protecting them-
selves from skin
cancer."
—Doug Ulman
Skin cancer can be treated success-
fully if found early. The most
important issue that The Ulman
Cancer Fund supports in
terms of skin cancer is that
children, in conjunction with
their physician and parents,
need to watch their own skin
and look for lesions or
changes in moles. If they see a
change, they NEED to tell their
parents or doctors. Over 50 per-
cent of melanoma cases are found by
patients. My second skin cancer diagnosis
resulted after a tiny mole on my arm was itching
and I mentioned something to my doctor. She decided to
take it off as a precaution and it turned out to be invasive
melanoma. Who would have of thought that a 19-year-old
would have skin cancer twice? Not me. Another message
we convey is that skin cancer does not discriminate. It
affects young and old. People of all races. Male and female.
What's in the future for Doug Ulman?
I will continue to dedicate my life to cancer advocacy,
including prevention and education awareness. I will not
be satisfied until children are allowed to bring sunscreen
to school with them, until children are taught in schools
about the dangers of skin cancer and that they can avoid
getting it by practicing good protection habits. I also want
to bring awareness to the fact that cancer is not a death
sentence! You can have cancer in your life (you can even
have it three different times) and still return to a normal
life and, as in my case, go above and beyond what you
were doing prior to the diagnosis. I am very lucky to be
alive at age 22, and I want to do everything possible to
help others understand the fragility of life and the impor-
tance of protecting themselves from skin cancer.
For more information on The Ulman Cancer Fund, visit
the Web site at .
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SunWise Monitor
* the
ire fpotligkt,
Read about SunWise in action! The following articles share some exciting
SunWise stories from students and teachers across the country.
Ozo*e Out Weft
Ozone science
recently took
center stage in
Colorado as
teachers and students in
the University of Colorado
at Boulders (CU's)
1999-2000 Science
Explorer Program put new
science curricula to the
test. In a series of 17 day-
long workshops held
throughout the state,
Colorado teachers and stu-
dents tried out new science
lessons focused on ground-
level and stratospheric
ozone as well as UV radia-
tion.
Teams comprised of one
teacher and five students,
from fifth through eighth
grade, took part in three
75-minute classes during
the workshops. Each class
featured a variety of ozone-
related, hands-on lessons;
for example, the teams
searched for ground-level
ozone by using Schoenbein
paper—a special paper
made of cornstarch, dis-
tilled water, and potassium
iodide—which turns blue
or purple when in contact
with ozone.
In another activity, students
and teachers learned about
the effects of stratospheric
ozone depletion, such as
increased UV radiation
reaching Earths surface.
Using color-changing, UV-
sensitive Frisbees, the teams
evaluated the effectiveness
of various sun-protection
materials, including sun-
screen, sunglasses, and
fabrics. The teams also con-
structed chemical models of
ozone molecules from gum-
drops and toothpicks.
Studying the conditions of
Antarctica, over which an
ozone hole exists, is another
topic for curricula activities.
"The student team mem-
bers work side by side
with their teachers in the
workshops to develop
knowledge and leadership
skills," said Lannie Hagan,
coordinator of the Science
Explorer Program.
After participating in the
Science Explorer activities,
students and teachers will
take their new knowledge
and materials back to their
classrooms to share with
fellow students and col-
leagues. While this year's
workshops and curricula
focused strictly on the sci-
ence of ozone and UV
radiation, Hagan noted,
"SunWise behavior lessons
would be a perfect supple-
ment for teachers to
incorporate when they
implement the new curric-
ula in their classrooms."
Designed to encourage stu-
dent interest and aptitude
in science, math, and tech-
nology in Colorado and
the West, the CU-Boulder
Science Discovery Program
has been operating the
Science Explorer Program
for 13 years, introducing
new curricula to about 300
teachers each year.
For more information about
CU's Science Explorer pro-
gram, contact Lannie Hagan
at 303 492-0771.
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Students film a "News Flash" on
ground-level ozone and its
harmful effects on human
health.
SunWise Monitor
jfc 4 Students play an ozone
^ board game—"The Hole
in the Sky"—to gather
facts and statistics on
the history of ozone
depletion.
Hi-Teck
Forget MTV—fifth-
graders in Dottie
Fundakowski's gifted
science class used
state-of-the-art video
conferencing to tap into
EPA expertise on ozone
depletion and SunWise
behavior. As part of a
semester-long unit on
ozone, Fundakowski's stu-
dents at The Center for
Creative Learning in
Missouri's Rockwood
School District, participat-
ed in virtual discussions
with Jeffrey Levy,
formerly of EPAs
SunWise School
Program.
The video confer-
ence gave the stu-
dents, who had
already been studying
ozone and UV radi-
ation for 6 weeks,
the unique chance
to interact with a
scientific expert. In
addition to fielding
the students' technical
questions about
ft*ete*t; Ark tte EPA Exert
ozone depletion, Levy
reminded them of their
responsibility to protect
their skin and eyes from
UV radiation. "Global
issues, such as ozone
depletion, can be worri-
some for high-level
learning students,"
Fundakowski noted. "The
video conference with
Jeffrey Levy was a great
way to have the students
learn about experts who
are working to reduce
ozone problems and to give
students an interactive
resource for their questions
and concerns."
Throughout the past year,
Levy participated in a total
of 10 ozone-related video
conferences with different
groups of Fundakowski's
students and also hosted
an evening session to dis-
cuss parents' questions
about UV radiation and
sun protection. The suc-
cess of the video-based
exchanges has prompted
Fundakowski to plan addi-
tional conferences. She also
shared her students' high-
tech activities with other
educators at the Midwest
Educational Technology
Conference, held March 13
through 15 in St. Louis.
The video conferences
were just one portion of
Fundakowski's unit, which
covers both stratospheric
and ground-level ozone.
Students completed many
other SunWise activities,
including daily visits to the
SunWise UV Index Web
site, UV-sensitive bead
experiments, and lessons
on the labeling of sun-
screens. While studying
the light spectrum, stu-
dents became fully
informed consumers,
learning why sunscreens
should protect skin from
both UV-A and UV-B rays.
In addition to lessons
focused on what they can
do to protect themselves.
Fundakowski's students
staged a mock congres-
sional hearing on the ban
of aerosol sprays, learning
what other countries are
doing to protect the planet
from ozone depletion.
For the past several years,
Fundakowski has found
SunWise lessons to be an
effective component of
teaching ozone science. "I
am usually introducing ele-
mentary school students to
curricula on the atmos-
phere and sun protection.
They know they're sup-
posed to wear sunscreen,
but they don't know about
the 'why' behind that
behavior. The SunWise
School Program is very
helpful, not only in teach-
ing kids what to do, but in
teaching them about the
scientific and health rea-
sons attached to those
actions."
For more information,
contact Dottie
Fundakowski at
636 207-2579, ext. 334 or
otli«jl*t...
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fv^e 8
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SunWise Monitor
ife Activity
"Mo Want; to Se f.mt»/i;e?"
Here's a fun way to add some excitement and suspense to the classroom while teaching students about
SunWise behavior and ozone science. This activity starts with fairly simple questions and graduates to hard-
er questions. Each question is worth a certain dollar value or number of points. Correct answers are found
at the bottom of this page.
Would you like to sub-
mit questions for "Who
Wants to Be SunWise?"
or do you have other
fun activities that we
could publish in the
SunWise Monitor? If so,
please contact Linda
Rutsch at 202 564-
2261, or . If you sub-
mit questions for "Who
Wants to Be SunWise?",
be sure to indicate a
dollar or point value, or
whether the question
should be categorized
as very easy, easy,
medium, or difficult.
1. The sun is a:
a. planet
b.star
c. meteor
d.none of the above
2. SPF is the abbrevia-
tion for:
a. skin pollution formula
b. super protective
formula
c. sun protection factor
d.super protein food
3. You should wear
sunscreen with an
SPF of this number
or higher:
a. 3
b.5
c.8
d.15
4. The sun is important
for:
a. photosynthesis
b.visible light
c. warmth
d.all of the above
The UV Index is
reported on a
scale of:
a. 0-100
b.0-5
C.O-10+
d.2-12
The distance from
the sun to the
Earth is
a. 86,000 miles
b.93 million miles
c. 26.2 miles
d.none of the above
This mammal
secretes an oily pink
sunscreen to protect
itself:
a. flamingo
b. hippo
c.pig
d. human
8. The stratosphere is
located:
a. 10-30 miles above
Earths surface
b.0-10 miles above
Earths surface
c. 2 miles from the moon
d. 93 million miles from
Earth
9. Out of every 10 mil-
lion air molecules,
about 2 million are
normal oxygen, but
only this number are
ozone:
a. one million
b.one thousand
c. one hundred
d. three
p '6 'D '8 'q 'L 'q '9 '» 'S 'P -f 'P •Ł '»
• I :SJOMSUV
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SunWise Monitor
The UV Uex
common form of skin cancer. Unlike melanoma
skin cancer, it is not usually fatal, but can still
cause serious damage to skin and eyes.
TKe fV of
Fortunately, there are many steps we can take to
protect ourselves from skin cancer and other
harmful effects of sun exposure. By following
these rules, we can avoid damaging sunburns and
achieve better overall health.
• Slip on a shirt. *
• Slop on sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher).*
• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat.*
• Sunglasses should be worn to prevent cataracts.
• Shadow rule: if your shadow is shorter than
you are, you are more likely to sunburn.
Remember, "No shadow — Seek shade." The
sun is most intense between 10 a.m. and
4 p.m.
• Sunburns should be avoided at any age and
especially by children.
• Sunbathing in natural sunlight and at tanning
parlors should be avoided.
So as we turn our sights to summer, let's have fun,
but remember to be SunWise! Follow the steps
above and check the UV Index daily to help plan
your outdoor activities. For more information on
the SunWise School Program and the UV Index,
visit .
— Dr. Thomas E Downham II, MD
Henry Ford Medical Center
thomasd@ic.net
(n addition to the sun-safety tips to the left, the UV
Index also can be a valuable tool in helping to avoid
too much sun. The National Weather Service, the
Centers for Disease Control, and EPA initiated the
UV Index for 58 cities in 1994. It is a forecast of the
level of skin-damaging UV radiation reaching the Earths
surface at noon. Knowing the intensity of UV radiation
enables people to take appropriate sun-protection steps
to avoid overexposure. Exposure levels and index values
are categorized in the following manner:
A UV Index reading of 0 to 2 indicates
minimal danger from the sun's UV radiation.
A UV Index reading of 3 to
4 indicates low risk of harm to the
skin from the sun's UV radiation.
A UV Index reading of
5 to 6 indicates some significant risk of
skin damage due to the sun.
Copyright American Cancer Society, 1994.
A UV Index
reading of 7 to 9 indi-
cates high risk of harm
from unprotected exposure to the sun. Time in the sun
should be avoided between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
ligh: A UV index read-
ing of 10 or more indicates very
high risk of harm from unprotected
sun exposure.
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SunWise Monitor
tHe WWife Spotlight.
tke
• ••
Linda Rutsch and Kristin Kenausis recently took the SunWise message on the road to Crestview Elementary School in Boulder,
Colorado. Laura Farris ofLPAs Region 8 office arranged for the school visit, where four 4th and 5th grade physical education
classes were taught how and why to be SunWise.
ach class started out with an introductory slide
show explaining the importance of sun safety. In
an effort to keep the lesson both entertaining and
informative, students in each class were then bro-
ken up into four groups, with each group rotating into
learning centers set up around the gym. In Lauras learn-
^^^^^^ ing center, students learned how
to pick the best sunscreen, hat,
sunglassees, and clothing for
optimum sun protection.
Laura also demonstrated prop-
er sunscreen application.
In Lindas learning center, stu-
dents made UV bead bracelets
and necklaces. The beads, when exposed to UV radia-
tion, turn an array of vibrant colors. Many students noted
that the UV beads would be a great reminder while ski-
ing because they sometimes forget that in the cold of
winter, UV radiation still exists, especially considering the
altitude and the reflection from the snow.
In Kristin's learning center, the students engaged in a
sun-safe relay race. The relay race required that teams of
students run to the side of the gym where sun-safe outfits
had been left earlier. Once there, they had to dress a cho-
sen person on their team to be sun-safe (with appropriate
hat, sunglasses, clothing, and sunscreen bottle), and race
back. Each class ended with a review of lessons learned.
A good time was had by all who participated. ©
Ull 111/
The SunWise School Program is an Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project.
wEPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(6205J)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
) Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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