Young farmers are being encouraged to protect themselves this summer when working outside to reduce the risk of sunburn and to protect against harmful rays that can cause melanoma skin cancer.
New data published today by the charity Melanoma Focus shows 77% of agricultural workers suffer from sunburn at least once per year and 76% remember getting sunburned as a child or teenager.
The results of a survey of UK farmers also found that 52% rarely or never wear sunscreen in the summer. When asked why they were not regularly wearing sunscreen, 33% of respondents said it was because they often forget and 25% said it was because they don’t expect to burn.
Over a third (38%) of farmers also said they rarely or never cover their skin with clothing or a sunhat when working outdoors in the summer. This is despite most reporting that they spend the majority of their working day outside.
There are around 17,500 new melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK every year and it is the 5th most common cancer in the country. One in 35 men and one in 41 women in the UK will now be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in their lifetime.
Melanoma is considered the most serious form of skin cancer because it has the highest mortality rate, and deaths from melanoma are projected to continue to rise.
Research shows that having five or more sunburns doubles your risk of getting melanoma skin cancer and even one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles your chances of developing melanoma later in life. Further studies indicate that experiencing five or more bad sunburns between ages 15 and 20 increases your melanoma risk by 80%.
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said:
“Agricultural workers are frequently exposed to harmful UV rays because of the nature of their work and it’s alarming to see that many of these individuals are experiencing sunburn, which significantly increases their risk of developing melanoma - a deadly form of skin cancer.
“Taking preventive measures such as wearing a high factor sunscreen, wearing a hat and covering up when working in the sun is crucial for reducing the risk of melanoma and safeguarding the health of farmers and other workers who spend a lot of time outdoors.”
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager at the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), said:
"Farm safety goes beyond working safely with livestock, transport or machinery. Working in agriculture means you spend a lot of time outside, and means you have far more sun exposure than people who work indoors.
"Despite the well-established (and continuously growing) body of evidence linking sun exposure and skin cancer, there are many farmers out there who are still regularly suffering from sunburn. We'd urge all farm workers to remember that they are the agriculture industry's biggest assets and to be sun safe and know their skin."
86% of melanomas are preventable by protecting your skin from harmful rays. Visit Melanoma Focus for advice about how to protect yourself from skin cancer.
