Cool Tools: Be SunWise!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

With the UV index on the rise, our colleagues at the EPA want to get the word out about sun safety and raise awareness about a largely preventable health issue: skin cancer.

The EPA has partnered with members of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote Don't Fry Day, the first ever national sun safety day being held the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, May 22, 2009.

As many of us prepare to kick off summer this weekend and spend a lot of time outdoors, the EPA and their partners are reminding us to practice sun-safe behaviors.

Educators are invited to go online and take the SunWise pledge. Participating classrooms will receive a set of sun safety resources.

To learn more, visit the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention's resource page where you'll find background information, statistics and facts and public service announcements you can either put in your school's newsletter or deliver electronically to parents and caregivers.

You can also visit the EPA's SunWise site. The SunWise Program is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach the public how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom, school, and community-based components.There are a lot of great interactive tools on this site to use at school or at home.

If you are visiting the Museum this weekend, visit our Investigate Health exhibit and check out the sun safety station where you can use a special camera that demonstrates how sunscreen protects your skin from ultraviolet light.

Stay tuned and stay sun-safe,
-Nancy