Helping outdoor workers reduce skin cancer risk

QUT health promotion specialist Dr Marguerite Sendall is reducing skin cancer risk for outdoor workers. Credit: Image courtesy of Queensland University of Technology

Skin cancer is one of the biggest fears for one in two outdoor workers and when the boss and staff work together the sun safe message gets through, a QUT study has found.

The study, which found more than 50 per cent of outdoor workers rated UV radiation exposure at work as one of their biggest concerns, also identified how a workplace intervention could improve workers' behaviours and attitudes towards sun protection to reduce their risk of skin cancer.

QUT in collaboration with Cancer Council Queensland and Curtin University worked with 14 Queensland outdoor workplaces from farming, construction, public service and local government industries to develop personalized sun protection action plans.

After adopting these individualized plans, the number of workers who reported using sun protection increased significantly.

Professor Michael Kimlin and Associate Professor Monika Janda, from QUT's AusSun Research Lab, led the intervention program and the results have been published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine titled "Changes in Outdoor Workers' Sun-Related Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviours: A Pre-Post Workplace Intervention."

"The message is simple, outdoor workers who see their workplace, supervisors and bosses supporting sun protection measures will follow their lead," Professor Janda said.

"Providing better programs, which take into account the specific workplace tasks and culture can make a difference."

QUT health promotion specialist Dr Marguerite Sendall, who was involved at the grassroots level in implementing the workplace interventions, said the study worked closely with workplaces to develop and implement a tailored sun safety plan, encouraging sun awareness and supporting sun protection practices at work.

"The program was about working together in partnership with workplaces, taking into account their individual circumstances and environment, and developing realistic and sustainable strategies," Dr Sendall said.

"It was this partnership and customized strategies that made this study a success and led to significant improvements in the way workplaces and employees approached sun safety."

Dr Sendall said after the 12 months intervention, the results revealed when a workplace was sun safe there was a significant improvement in the attitudes and behaviours of outdoor workers when it came to sun protection.

"For example, the proportion of workers who checked their skin for early signs of skin cancer increased after the intervention program, with 80 per cent reporting they had conducted a skin check in the previous 12 months," Dr Sendall said.

"Ten per cent more workers also had their skin checked by a doctor.

"The study found after the intervention, 20 per cent more workers said they usually or 

always seek natural shade, 25 per cent more workers wore broad-brimmed hats, 19 per cent more wore long-sleeved collared shirts and 16 per cent wore long trousers," she said.

Dr Sendall said there was also a shift in outdoor worker attitudes.

"The proportion of workers who agreed their workplace enforced sun protection and agreed their supervisors protected themselves increased by 10 per cent to 76 per cent of all workers," she said.

One of the workplaces to take part in the study was Goondiwindi Regional Council and workplace champion Andrew Singh said the tailored intervention had produced tangible results.

"At our council, after introducing the intervention, the road construction crew adopted a number of sun safe initiatives," Mr Singh said.

"For example, the council provided portable shade structures to be used during breaks, vehicle windows were tinted and our staff swapped baseball-style caps for broad-brimmed hats.

"Overall, what we found was workers were keen to follow these sun safe measures as they saw their initiatives were welcomed and keenly supported by the mayor, councillors and management."

Dr Sendall said the study highlighted the importance of a consistent sun safe workplace culture.

"Despite ongoing public health campaigns, outdoor workers remain a difficult to reach group but if we can take care in making the sun protection program really relevant to their personal circumstances and work environment, the potential health benefits are significant."

Source: Queensland University of Technology

Scientist finds genetic wrinkle to block sun-induced skin aging

UBC researchers created a device to act as a tanning bed for mice. Credit: Image courtesy of University of British Columbia

A scientific team at UBC and Providence Health Care have genetically engineered mice with less wrinkled skin, despite repeated exposure to wrinkle-inducing ultraviolet (UV) light.

The findings, published last week in Aging Cell, raises hope for a drug that would block the activity of Granzyme B in certain places, and thus prevent the aging and deterioration of tissues that depend on collagen -- not just skin, but blood vessels and lung passages.

viDA Therapeutics, a company co-founded by David Granville, a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and a principal investigator in the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation of UBC and St. Paul's Hospital, is currently developing a Granzyme-B inhibitor based on technology licensed from UBC. The company plans to test a topically applied drug within two years on people with discoid lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease worsened by sunlight that can lead to disfiguring facial scarring. (The musician Seal has such a condition.)

If the drug proves effective in preventing lupus-related skin lesions, there is potential for a cosmetic product to prevent the normal, gradual aging of the skin, which is mostly caused by sun exposure. But the drug might also be used for life-threatening conditions, such as aneurysms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, caused by the breakdown of collagen and other proteins that provide structure to blood vessels and lung passages.

Background

A serendipitous discovery: Granville was investigating the role of Granzyme B in atherosclerosis and heart attacks. He and his team wanted to see if the blood vessels of mice lacking Granzyme B were more resistant to hardening and narrowing, which is a major cause of heart attacks in human. In the process, they discovered that such mice retained youthful-looking skin compared to the aged skin on normal mice.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Genome BC, and Mitacs financially support this research.

An experimental tanning bed: Granville's team constructed a device to simulate sun exposure on mice. Each mouse was put in a carousel that slowly turned under UV lamps, exposing them for three to four minutes, three times a week -- enough to cause redness, but not to burn. After 20 weeks of repetitive exposure, it became clear that the skin of mice lacking Granzyme B had aged much less -- and their collagen was more intact -- compared to the control groups.

Source: University of British Columbia

Looks really can kill you: Protect yourself against skin cancer

Credit: Image courtesy of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

It only takes a few bad sunburns or trips to the tanning bed to put someone at risk for melanoma. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States and when left untreated, melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive form. It accounts for more than 9,000 of the 12,000-plus skin cancer deaths each year. In observance of May's Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is focusing on helping teens keep their skin safe this spring with a new infographic.

"Sun tanning equals skin damage," said Dr. David R. Byrd, director of surgery at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "To minimize the risk of skin cancer, we recommend people use a daily sunscreen with an SPF of 30 and limit the amount of time spent in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m."

Teens choosing to tan indoors under UV light are more likely to get melanoma. In fact, 76 percent of melanomas found in women between the ages of 18 and 29 are associated with tanning bed use. While getting a blistering sunburn as a teen can more than double an individual's chance of developing melanoma later on in life, research shows only 15 percent of males and 37 percent of females claim to use sunscreen most of the time or always.

SCCA is committed to preventing melanoma in teens by encouraging them to change their daily and summer-ready routines. The "Looks Really Can Kill You" infographic is an innovative, relatable way to educate teens on their skin cancer risks.

Anyone can develop skin cancer, but there are lifestyle choices one can make to reduce their risk. Teens choosing to opt out of the tanning bed, taking the extra time to put on sunscreen, and seeking the shade during the hottest hours of the day are making an investment in their health and ensuring their beauty is actually skin deep.

Source: Seattle Cancer Care Alliance