Summer is no time for sun worship

The risk of cataracts, skin cancer and ageing should be enough to scare people away from spending too much time in the sun, but many prefer to ignore it in their quest for a tan.

Every summer health authorities begin drumming the same message, but some people still refuse to heed the advice and lie on the beach without sunscreen lapping up the sun's harmful rays.

Adolescents, who feel invincibly detached from the concept of skin cancer and ageing, are the ones who usually ditch protection, preferring to seek the here and now - a tan.

"I'm aware of the risk of skin cancer, but I rarely use sun protection," said Jennifer Bugeja, 20, from Qormi.

Andrea Grech, 18, from Sliema echoes a similar sentiment and admits that she works on getting a uniform tan - she is only bothered with sunscreen if she spends a day at sea.

Ms Grech was one of the passers-by in Valletta who was yesterday handed an information leaflet, a bottle of water and sunscreen lotion as part of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department's campaign.

The department, together with Chemimart, in Republic Street, distributed some 250 bottles of water to keep people hydrated and another 250 sunscreen containers.

At one point people seemed more eager to lay their hands on the free products than the information leaflet, titled Protect Yourself During A Heat Wave, but a handful actually stopped to listen in on the press conference.

Joe Cassar, Health Parliamentary Secretary, spoke of the harm caused by the high UV index, a measure of the harmful ultraviolet sunlight, which was surpassing 11 these days.

"The days when we used to spend an entire day at the beach should be over. Apart from skin cancer - the rate of melanoma is increasing - and ageing, there is also the risk of cataracts, which few people seem to be aware of," Dr Cassar said.

He said alarm bells should be ringing in people's mind whenever the UV index hit seven, let alone when it was 10 and over, when experts advised people to stay indoors if possible.

Marianne Massa, department principal health promotion officer, said that whereas in previous years the UV index used to be between six and seven in March, this year the index was already hitting a sizzling 10.

However, this does nothing to stop Sylvana Attard, 39, from Kirkop from taking the full brunt of the sun. Whether she is working in the field or relaxing by the sea, she never bothers to protect her skin.

Nadia Valletta, 29, from Cospicua, never slathers on any cream either, though she is careful to wear a hat and makes sure her son is covered in sunscreen from head to toe.

On the other hand, Carmen Micallef, 47, from Dingli, is careful is keep out of the sun because of her fair skin, and she worries about her 19-year-old daughter who refuses to heed her advice.

Department head Charmaine Gauci urged people to protect themselves and minimise the impact of the sun's harmful rays.

The leaflet, which will be available from health centres, provides some useful tips on how to handle a heat wave. With temperatures forecast to hit 36 degrees Celsius in the coming days, the tips are worth heeding.