News
Don’t Fry Day: Raising Awareness for Skin Cancer Prevention
May 22, 2018
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The opening of Albuquerque’s public pools this weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and a great time to brush up on keeping skin safe from UV rays.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will host a news conference on Don’t Fry Day, the Friday before Memorial Day, to raise awareness of sun safety and encourage everyone to take steps to protect their skin.
ACS CAN will also announce a bill to be filed in the 2019 Legislature that would protect children from indoor tanning devices’ deadly UV rays, by prohibiting their use by anyone under 18 years old.
WHAT: Don’t Fry Day news conference
WHEN: Friday, May 25 at 9 a.m.
WHERE: West Mesa Aquatic Center
6705 Fortuna Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87121
WHO:
Rep. G. Andrés Romero, (D-10)
Dr. Marianne Berwick, distinguished professor at The University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine
Sandra Adondakis, ACS CAN New Mexico government relations director
Lacey Daniell-Miller, ACS CAN New Mexico grassroots manager
Young people under the age of 18 are at a particularly high risk for the damages associated with UV radiation and exposure. Indoor tanning use before the age of 35 increases melanoma risk by 59 percent. Already, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas have comprehensive bills prohibiting children under the age of 18 from using indoor tanning devices. Rep. G. Andrés Romero, the bill’s sponsor, will speak to the importance of this proposed legislation.
Ultraviolet rays – from the sun and other sources such as indoor tanning devices -- are the primary cause of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States. It’s estimated more than 500 New Mexicans will be diagnosed with melanoma this year.