MEDIA RELEASE
National Skin Cancer Action Week Nov 15-21
Don’t be a victim, teens warned!
Every year in Australia over 1,700 people die from skin cancer.
This week is National Skin Cancer Action Week (Nov 15-21) and Cancer Council ACT
urges all Canberrans and especially our teens not to overdo it in the sun this summer.
Recent data shows that 43% of teens still believe a suntan ‘looks healthy’ said the Cancer
Council and it seems that peer pressure is largely to blame with 71% of teens saying their
friends thought ‘a suntan was a good thing ¹
.
Still 1 in 4 teenagers are reported to get
sunburned on a typical summer weekend in Australia.
This summer ALL Canberrans are reminded to adopt a combination of the 5 sun
protection measures when outdoors.
Wear a hat that offers protection to your face, head, neck and ears, wear adequate
clothing that covers as much skin as possible, slide on a pair of close fitting wrap-around
sunglasses and always seek out shade when it is available. And finally don’t forget to
apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ water resistant sunscreen on those parts of the body not
already protected.
Cancer Council ACT’s SunSmart Services Coordinator David Wild said “never rely on
just one form of sun protection and to always apply sunscreen in a combination with the
other sun protection measures”.
Cancer Council ACT continues to encourage Canberrans to get into the habit of checking
the daily SunSmart UV Alert before planning outdoor events and activities and to adopt
effective sun protection behaviour when UV levels reach 3 and above.
Mr Wild also said that “the higher the UV levels the quicker your unprotected skin will
burn SO aim to minimise outdoors activities and events as much as possible between
11am and 3pm during this time of the year when UV levels are at their most intense”
Cancer Council’s latest awareness campaign features an edgy 30 second television
commercial starring actress Nicola da Silver (from RUSH), as a crime scene detective
following the case on Bondi Beach. It is aimed
mainly at Australian teens, many of whom still
continue to desire a tan, despite the well publicised
risks.
Cancer Council continues to raise awareness of the
real dangers of skin cancer and hopes this new
campaign will help get the message to sink in that a
tan just isn’t worth the risk.
For more information on skin cancer prevention and awareness call the Cancer Council
Media contact David Wild 6257 9999
1
National Sun Survey 2006-2007. While some data from this survey has been previously
released, this is the first time these specific statistics have been released.
NEWS 
