Global warming has a direct relationship with skin cancer, and instances of this particular cancer will most likely continue to rise, ecosystems scientist Bruno Basso said.
“The ozone layer is a buffer protection from heavy ultraviolet radiation,” Basso said. “Ozone absorbs 95 to 97 percent of UV rays.”
Because of the increase in greenhouse gases, chlorofluorocarbons have increasingly combined in the atmosphere, breaking down ozone, Basso said.
Nonetheless, many college students continue to lay out for extended periods of time in the summer.
MSU senior Julia Johnson said she lies out beside the pool at her house while she reads and typically doesn’t wear sunscreen.
She said she believes most students don’t wear sunscreen because it “defeats the purpose” when lying out to get a tan. In addition, she said she feels many people aren’t aware of the risks unless they, or a family member, have personally been affected by skin cancer.
“It’s interesting to look at how different generations view beauty,” Johnson said. “In the past, fair skin was considered beautiful, but now exotic is what we strive to achieve.”
Professor Leonard Fleck, an expert in health care justice, rationing and policy said he feels the presentation of being tan as a beauty standard is concerning.
He said anyone sunbathing should restrict the activity to an hour or hour and a half and try to avoid the period from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the most intense.
People are not as concerned with the risks as they should be, since the consequences “usually take a couple decades to develop,” Fleck said.
He said some forms of skin cancer, like melanoma, are incurable and potentially deadly if not treated right away.
For other forms, the cost of a cure is very high, he said.
Fleck said people who have experienced intense sunburns in which their skin blistered are at a higher risk for skin cancer, along with those who have a genetic vulnerability.
