Sunsmart

Term 4 Sunsmart Policy

Term 4 is a time of increased UV and our school enforces The Sunsmart policy. Please see some of the reasons why in the facts below from the Sunsmart website:

• Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70.
• More than 2,000 Australians die from skin cancer each year.
• Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
• The incidence of treatments for basal and squamous cell carcinomas is more than five times the incidence of all other cancers combined.
• Medicare records show there were over 900,000 treatments for squamous and basal cell carcinoma skin cancers in 2016 – that’s more than 2,500 skin cancer treatments every day.
• Basal and squamous cell carcinoma skin cancers accounted for one quarter of all cancer-related hospitalisations in 2014–15.  The cost to the health system of these skin cancers alone is estimated to be more than $700 million annually. The costs to the Federal Government and the community from basal and squamous cell carcinomas are predicted to continue to increase in the future.
• In 2015, 379 Victorians died from skin cancer, 1.5 times the Victorian road toll that year.
• It is estimated that approximately 200 melanomas and 34,000 other skin cancer types per year are caused by occupational exposures in Australia.
• Cover Up in the Sun!

Mark Metcalf 

Adolescent Health