tu rn to the individuals.

I
doing w rong is n o t taking
tu rn to schools. I tu rn to
it seriously enough.
businesses, to em ployers.
M elanom a skin cancers are
killers. W e have 63,000
An exam ple is that in
cases a year. O f those,
the call to action w e really
9,000 people are dying
go o u t to all the schools
every year from m elanom a.
across the U nited States,
G uess w hat th ats one
saying Listen, look at
person every h o u r th ats
w hat you are exposing
dying from m elanom a.
your children to potentially
Thats
serious. But even
during the day w ith out
the non-m elanom a skin
do o r recess. O utdoor
cancers, the basal cell can
recess is very im portant.
cers and the squam ous cell
We w ant kids to b e o u t
cancers
doors. But
those are
can you
leaving an
No
one
is
immune
begin looking
effect on
at the idea of
to this problem,
people. You
shady areas?
because even if you
cut them
Can you
away, or use
look at the darkestbegin looking
very
p ow er
at the con
skinned individu
ful
chem
ical
cept o f hav
als...everyone is
o r destruc
ing kids
tive agents
exhibiting this
allow ed to
th at leave
w ear hats
increase in skin
scars.
w h en theyre
cancer rates.
outdoors? To
What do

Boris Lushniak
allow them to
you think
apply sun
w e are
screens onto their skin to
d o in g right, or best?
protect them from ultravio
I th ink w e have already
let radiation? Have you
seen a shift in term s of
looked into the idea o f
som e o f our social norm s.
tim ing outdoor recess at a
Its interesting.
tim e period w here the
I m entioned that I w as
ultraviolet radiation isnt at
at
the
beach in July. W hen
its highest?
you look aro u n d you, w hat
People w ho are em ploy
do you see? You do see
ers o f outdoor w orkers: Do
m
ore people w ith um brel
you have break areas
las.
People are having fun,
w here the w orkers can be
b u t its not just lying in the
u n d er shade? Are the
sun th at brings out their
w orkers allow ed to w ear
joy. You see little kids that
protective clothing and use
are covered up. You see
sunscreen o n the job? Are
them having that protec
you part o f this m ission to
tive
clothing on, and their
decrease the health effects
hats on. I think w e ve
o f ultraviolet radiation on
already m ade som e
you, on your w orkers and
progress.
on your business?
Interview conducted,
edited and condensed by
W hat is th e sin g le
Lindsey Wahowiak
b ig g est th in g w e are
d o in g w ron g w h en it
com es to sk in protection
Visit www.thetwtionshealth.org on Oct.
in th e U.S.?
1 to listen to a podcast with Lushniak
I think w hat w ere
based on this intervieiv.

New guidelines call fo r year-round sun protection, end to tanning

Q&A: Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak

focuses on skin cancer prevention, awareness
As acting Surgeon General, Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, has made it his mission to educate the pub
lic about health risks. In July, Lushniak issued a "Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer." While the
summer was the perfect time to launch a skin cancer awareness campaign, Lushniak said it is
important for all Americans to recognize that the risk for skin cancer affects them year-round. Lush
niak will join former surgeons general for a discussion of the future of health in America at APHA's
142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, in New Orleans.
W ere ta lk in g today
about sk in cancer
sp ecifica lly you r p u sh to
m ake sk in cancer a
h ea lth priority for th e
nation. W hy talk about
sk in cancer now ? What
m akes it im portant for
p eo p le to th in k about?
W hen I b egan looking
at th e inform ation out
th ere ab o u t skin cancer,
you realize m any o f the
cancers th at w e deal w ith
are decreasing in term s of
th eir rates. Skin cancer is
one o f the few th at has in
fact b een increasing over
th e last 30 years. In fact, in
30 years w e ve h ad a 200
p ercen t increase a
tripling o f skin cancer
rates in this country. W ere
dealing w ith, for th e m ost
part, a preventable skin
cancer, in th at m ost skin
cancers are caused by con
tact w ith ultraviolet radia
tion, b e th at from sunlight
o r tannin g booths.
W hat d o you th in k is th e
w orst th in g w e are s e e
in g in sk in cancer trends
righ t now ? W ho is m ost
at risk and why?
Really, w h en you look
at th e skin, th e skin is out
th ere to p ro tect us from
th e outside environm ent.
P eople at risk th e h ig h
est risk for skin cancer
are peo p le w ith fair skin.
Its your typical fair
skinned p erso n w ith blue
eyes and light-colored hair.
T hose individuals are at
higher risk from ultraviolet
radiation.
But, really, th e m essage
is th at no o n e is im m une
to this problem , because
even if you look at the
darkest-skinned individu
als if you look at th e
H ispanic-A m erican com
m unities, at the AfricanAm erican com m unities
everyone is exhibiting this
increase in skin cancer
rates in these (com m uni
ties). In reality, everyone is
at risk.
People still continue to
expose them selves to ultra
violet radiation from artifi

cial sources th e tanning

b o o th w orld. We know
th at in th e age g ro u p o f 15
to 25, th e young w hite
fem ales, o n e out o f every
th ree in fact are still using
tanning booths. We still
live in a society w h ere w e
th in k o f having tan skin as
being a sign o f health. Tan
skin is, in fact, dam aged
skin. Its not just th e su n
b u rn th a ts b ad for you.
T anning is, in fact, a sign
o f dam age to th a t skin.
Lets bring u p
th e analogy of
sm oking. The
idea o f tobacco
use u sed to be
th o u g h t o f as a
norm al p art of
society. It w as an
accepted social
norm . In these
50 years since
Luther Terrys,
first report on
sm oking and
Lushniak
health, w eve
seen social norm s change.
Sm oking is n o longer a
norm al thing. I view our
im petus o n changing social
norm s as an im portant part
o f this.
Its k in d o f funny how
oftentim es w e hide b ehind
labels. We call them UV
rays, for exam ple. UV
rays som ehow sou n d
benign. This is ultraviolet
radiation a kn o w n car
cinogen. T he W orld H ealth
O rganization has labeled it
a k n ow n carcinogen to
hum ans. W hy are w e
exposing ourselves, o ur
bodies needlessly to a
kn o w n carcinogen?
Its really a m isp ercep
tio n o f w h at is h ealthy
versu s w h at is not. D o
you th in k th ere are other
m isp ercep tion s around
th e idea o f hea lth y skin?
(T heres) th e m ispercep
tion that som ehow a base
tan is g o o d for you. People
oftentim es say, I w ent to
th e tanning boo th because
Im head in g off o n vaca
tion, and th e base tan is
going to be protective.
T hats a com plete fallacy.

We talk about the sun pro

tection factors. (Sunscreen
has) got to be a sun p ro
tection factor o f 15 or
m ore.
A base tan, if w e really
m easured it the science
is out there it provides
a sun protection factor o f 2
or m ore. It really d o esn t
do anything to protect
your skin. T hats another
part o f the fallacy that
exists out there.
The o ther fallacy that
exists out there is that
som ehow su n
screens are bad
for you. The
reality is that
sunscreens have
b een looked at
by the Food and
Drug Adminis
tration. These
are regulated
products. They
have been
proven to be
b o th safe and
advantageous.
I w as on vacation in
July. Guess w hat the
acting surgeon general
spent a little tim e w ith his
family on the beach. It did
n t stop me from being on
the beach, but...w e p u t up
an um brella. We m ade
sure th at w e had sunscreen
on us. We kep t ourselves
covered, com fortably
covered. I had a hat on. I
w as able to read. I jum ped
into the water. I reapplied
the sunscreen. I had a
w hole day at the beach
w here I w alked aw ay not
being burned, not being
tanned, b u t having a great
tim e w ith my wife and
daughters.
T he call to action has five
goals. W hat step s is your
office tak in g to m ake
th o se goals a reality?
The call to action is not
just the office saying,
H ere is w hat w e re going
to d o . In reality, w e turn
to everyone out there, to
all aspects o f society. I
turn, yes, to the federal
family, to the governm ent,
to legislators. But I also

OCTOBER

Photo by Lostinbids, courtesy iS tockphoto

Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak is calling on Americans

to prevent skin cancer. Everyone is susceptible to the sun's harm
ful rays, so it is important to use sunscreen and other protection.

2014

THE

N A T I O N S H E A L T H

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