Rising Rates of Skin Cancer

By: Jahnavi Jha

Skin cancer is a prevalent issue around the world which undertakes its role due to the lack of awareness regarding activities that initiate such a disease. As California is a coastal state, a tendency to submerge in the ocean waters and enjoy a pleasant day at the beach is found within many individuals. Although this is beneficial for the mind as enjoyment is a part of emotional well-being, protection has been overlooked and incidences of skin cancer have been steadily rising. With climate change having its everlasting effects, it has now become much more dangerous than ever to avoid basic protection such as sunscreen and expose the body to the sun on extremely hot days.

As summer begins to approach, the UV index starts to increase as the radiation of the sun at a particular moment of time contributes to harmful health. The image above shows the UV Index scale, with a particular color assigned to a number. The lowest UV Index being assigned cooler colors while the higher scales exhibit brighter colors with the exception of the few extremes. As shown in the image, the UV Index means for August in California from the years 2006-2020 fall towards the higher extremes of the UV Index. UV Radiation is a major factor which contributes to the development of skin cancer as it damages DNA in skin cells which further leads to mutations. This does not enable the cell to go through mitosis properly. As UV radiation is associated with skin cancer, an individual living in California is more prone

to getting the disease.

As the climate proceeds to change, further factors which would cause a decline in the population’s health have increased. A fact sheet produced by The American Melanoma Foundation states that, “Researchers estimate that 5.4 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, were treated in 3.3 million people in the United States in 2012.” This increase in skin cancer rates is directly associated with climate change. Due to the belief that the climate settles to be the same as before, a false assumption that the level of care and precaution needed to take for health would remain the same is established.

Lastly, education and awareness about the dangers of UV radiation is essential to the long-term health of an individual and reducing the prevalence of this disease. A paramount concern should be established in the safety of the skin, promising long-term happiness and health. With neglect, health is put on the line as small repeated actions that could seem harmless could be feeding such a deadly disease. This could simply include not wearing sunscreen while going to the beach. In a contrasting perspective, this disease could be avoided by taking note of the UV index and practicing safety measures regarding radiation. In all, with a collective effort to raise awareness about skin cancer in the community, a commitment to practice sun-safe measures, and regular skin examinations, a decrease in the trends of skin cancer has the possibility to be established.