S u n W i s e M o n i t o r

4VO8JTF.POJUPS CALLING ALL ARTISTS & 

ART 

LOVERS!

FDA PROPOSES SUNSCREEN LABEL CHANGES......2

NEW ONLINE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM................3

WHAT IS THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL? ....................4

EDUCATOR RECOGNITION ........................................4

DOLLARS AND SENSE...............................................6

SUNWISE COMMUNITIES.........................................7

h i g h l i g h t s

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SUN SAFETY 

POSTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE!

Even if you missed the deadline for the “Limit the Sun, Not 

the Fun” 2008 SHADE Poster Contest, co-sponsored by EPA’s 

SunWise Program and WeatherBug, you can still vote for the 

national winner and win prizes! 

You’re probably wondering why it’s so important for you to vote. 

First, you’ll help decide which poster is the best at showing us all how 

to be SunWise! Second, you’ll decide who deserves a trip for four to 

Disney World and a WeatherBug Tracking station—a scientific-grade 

weather station built to withstand all kinds of weather and record 

27 different weather measurements in real time—for his/her school. 

Third, all students under age 18 who vote will be entered into a 

drawing for an iPod nano. To vote and learn more about the contest, 

please visit www.shadefoundation.org/postercontest.

Finally, make sure to mark your calendars for next year’s contest. Or 

better yet, sign up on our Web site so we can send you a reminder to 

participate in the 2009 poster contest. Here’s a teaser: this year our state 

winners received iPods, plus their schools received a Sun UV Station 

to monitor real-time UV intensity levels (value: $99), a one gallon-sized 

pump bottle of sunscreen (value: $200), and a box of 3,000 UVsensitive beads (value: $55). Some states, like New York, Wisconsin, and 

Wyoming, provided additional prizes, including UV-sensitive wristbands, 

gift certificates, and other recognition. 

You can find everything you need to know about the poster contest at 

www.shadefoundation.org/postercontest. We look forward to 

having a great voter turnout and even more entries next year!

The issue hits home for 

Katie from Iowa, one of the 

two national winners from 

2007, because her father is a 

melanoma survivor. Katie knows 

how important it is to spread 

the word about sun safety. 

3119!TvoXjtf!Dpogfsfodf!Tdifevmf

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (6205J)

Washington, DC 20460

Official Buisness

Penalty for Private Use ($300)

EPA 430-N-08-001

April 2008

Recycled/Recyclable – Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Recycled Paper.

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

EPA

PERMIT NO. G-35

April 4, 2008 Ohio Association of School Nurses OASN Huron, OH

April 8-12, 2008 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, AAHPERD Fort Worth, TX

Recreation, & Dance

May 3-4, 2008 New England School Nurse Conference NESNC Newport, RI

June 28 - July 1, 2008 National Association of School Nurses NASN Albuquerque, NM

July 1-3, 2008 National Education Association NEA Washington, DC

July 15-16, 2008 Kansas School Nurse Organization KSNO Wichita, KS

Oct. 14-18, 2008 National Recreation and Parks Association NRPA Baltimore, MD

Oct. 26-29, 2008 American Public Health Association Expo APHA San Diego, CA

Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 2008 National Middle School Association NMSA Denver, CO

Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 2008 National Science Teachers Association (Regional Conference) NSTA Charlotte, NC

Nov. 20-22, 2008 National Science Teachers Association (Regional Conference) NSTA Portland, OR

Dec. 4-6, 2008 National Science Teachers Association (Regional Conference) NSTA Cincinnati, OH

Be one of the first 10 visitors to stop by our booth and mention the SunWise Monitor and you’ll receive 50 Be SunWise UV-sensitive wristbands.

SUNWISE PARTNERS WITH 

In an effort to help SunWise deliver a 

consistent, reinforced message about sun 

safety, Radio Disney agreed to launch a 

sun safety segment in a Public Service 

Announcement (PSA) radio show called 

“Kids’ Concerns.” In the spring of 2007, 

the SunWise team joined Lisa McGovern, 

executive director of the Congressional 

Families Cancer Prevention Program, and 

Alison, a high school student and “graduate” 

of SunWise, for Radio Disney’s Boston 

Backyard Show to tape a 30-minute radio 

PSA. The show featured a fun, informative 

discussion on how kids can incorporate 

sun safety into their daily lives. SunWise 

was interviewed in three additional cities in 

2007 (Seattle with Suzie Dicks, Milwaukee 

with Wisconsin State Superintendent 

Elizabeth Burmaster, and Orlando). Stay 

tuned for upcoming interviews with other 

Congressional Families members, including 

Karen Pence of Indiana and Stephene 

Moore of Kansas. Contact us at sunwise@

epa.gov if you know a great SunWise 

spokesperson for a Radio Disney interview. 

Additionally, a 30-second PSA voiced by 

the Disney teen pop music group T-Squad 

promoted the health benefits of sun safety 

and ran on 41 Radio Disney stations. Radio 

Disney estimates that the PSA was heard 

around 58 million times by 6-11-year-olds 

and 10.7 million times by moms. 

a p r o g r a m t h a t r a d i a t e s g o o d i d e a s www.epa.gov/sunwise
2 3

S u n W i s e M o n i t o r S u n W i s e M o n i t o r

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR 

NEW RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS

EPA thanks the approximately 60 SunWise Educators who 

have agreed to participate in our ongoing program effectiveness 

evaluation. These educators joined SunWise between January 

2007 and February 2008, and were randomly assigned to one 

of two groups: the delayed SunWise-teaching group (control) 

and the immediate SunWise-teaching group (intervention). As 

integral members of the SunWise Research Team, both groups 

will survey their students in March and April before teaching 

SunWise to determine what students know about the sun, how 

they feel about sun protection, and what they are currently doing 

to protect themselves. After the surveys are distributed, teachers 

in the intervention group will teach students SunWise activities 

for one to two hours before the end of the 2008 school year. The 

control group educators will not teach SunWise in 2008. In spring 

2009, a similar survey will be distributed to the same students 

(prior to teaching SunWise to the control group) to see if their sun 

protection knowledge, attitudes, and behavior changed. 

After analyzing the results, the control and intervention groups 

will be compared to see how effective SunWise is at improving 

sun protection knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. The results 

of the study will help EPA show the effectiveness of the 

program and guide improvements of SunWise materials. As 

a thank you for their time and effort, research team educators 

will receive a $150 gift certificate to a bookstore and Be 

SunWise UV-sensitive wristbands for their students. 

While EPA is not currently looking for additional schools 

to survey, we value your input and invite you to complete a 

teacher survey at www.epa.gov/sunwise/survey.

Thanks again to our new SunWise Research Team Members!

Sftpvsdf!Sfnjoefst!

NEW FDA PROPOSAL COULD HELP EASE 

CONSUMER CONFUSION ABOUT SUNSCREEN

AN OUNCE OF 

PREVENTION IS

WORTH A POUND

OF CURE – SIMPLE

SUNSCREEN RULES

APPLY a generous amount 

(1 ounce or palm-full) of 

sunscreen to dry skin 20 

minutes before going out into 

the sun. Studies show that most 

people apply only a quarter to half 

of the proper amount of sunscreen, 

which means the actual SPF they 

have on their bodies is lower than 

advertised. Apply broad-spectrum 

sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher. 

Take your time and apply generously 

and remember areas that are easy to 

forget, such as your lips, nose, ears, 

feet, hands, areas where your scalp is 

visible, and the back of your neck.

REAPPLY every 2 hours – 

more often if you are sweating 

or swimming. Sunscreen also 

needs to be reapplied every time 

you towel off. Sunscreen should be 

used in addition to several other 

SunWise Action Steps. Remember 

to seek shade, especially during peak 

hours of sun exposure (between 10 

and 4); wear UV-blocking lenses, 

wide-brimmed hats and protective 

clothing; and check the UV Index. 

E-mail us at sunwise@epa.gov if you have developed activities, 

or have suggestions for additional resources that should be 

developed. We value your input and will show our thanks by sending 

you UV-sensitive wristbands. 

Please keep us updated with your current address. If the Monitor 

was addressed to you personally, then you do not need to register 

again. If you were not the addressee, or if you have changed 

schools, please notify us at sunwise@epa.gov so that we can 

update our records. 

Don’t forget we are always adding new resources 

and updating old ones on our Web site. Check out 

www.epa.gov/sunwise to find out more about: 

New introductory presentations for grades K-2, 3-5, 

and 6-8. Remember that the meerkats featured aren’t 

cats, but members of the mongoose family.

The SunWise News Roundup, a weekly e-mail that 

contains links to sun safety news articles from the 

past week. Contact us at sunwise@epa.gov if 

you would like to receive the Roundup.

New activities to go along with the Sunscreen Dance 

song by the Swingset Mamas. 

An updated Meteorologist Tool Kit.

A revised fact sheet on UV Eye Damage.

BECOME A SUNWISECERTIFIED OUTDOOR 

EDUCATOR! 

SunWise will be releasing a new online sun safety 

certification program for outdoor recreation staff 

including camp counselors, scout troop leaders, 

lifeguards, and anyone else working with kids 

outdoors. The interactive training will provide users 

with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to 

instill life-long sun-safe behaviors in the youth in their 

care. Tune into the SunWise Web site at www.epa.

gov/sunwise to learn more. 

On August 23, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced 

a new proposal for the labeling of sunscreen. Currently, products typically list a 

numerical Sun Protection Factor (SPF), which is a measure of UVB protection only. 

Under the new proposal, a product’s level of UVA protection will be labeled using 

symbols (stars) on a scale of one to four, along with descriptors (low, medium, high, 

or highest). An easy way to remember the two types of harmful UV rays is that 

UVA rays are the aging rays and UVB rays are the burning rays. Overexposure to 

both forms of UV rays can lead to the development of skin cancer.

The proposal also outlines other regulations, including:

• All sunscreens would be required to include a warning statement in the “Drug 

Facts” box. The warning would read: “UV exposure from the sun increases 

the risk of skin cancer, premature skin aging, and other skin damage. It is 

important to decrease UV exposure by limiting time in the sun, 

wearing protective clothing, and using sunscreen.”

• The maximum SPF would be increased from 30+ to 50+.

• Sunscreens would no longer be able to use the 

misleading terminology “waterproof ” or “sweatproof.” 

Additionally, they could only use the term “water 

resistant” if a product retains its claimed sun protection 

after 40 minutes in the water and “very water resistant” 

if its protection is retained after 80 minutes in the water.

The proposed changes underwent a 120-day period of 

public comment, and FDA is in the process of incorporating 

public comments for a final rule. The rule will go into effect 

on a date specified in the final rule. It is likely that the earliest 

any new labeling will appear is 2009. 
4 5

SunWise Monitor SunWise Monitor

cancer. In addition to restoring the ozone layer, phasing out Fun Facts About Ozone

ozone-depleting substances protects the climate. Through the 

Montreal Protocol, EPA has already reduced U.S. greenhouse 

gas emissions by more than 8,900 million metric tons of carbon 

equivalent substances per year—equivalent to the cumulative 

carbon dioxide emissions of electricity generated to power every 

U.S. home for more than 13 years. In the September 2007 

Meeting of the Parties, which marked the 20th anniversary of 

the Protocol, the countries strengthened the phaseout schedule. 

EPA developed a progress report and poster that 

highlighted the historical timeline of events associated 

with the Montreal Protocol and the achievements that 

have been made over the past two decades to phase out 

ozone-depleting substances. The internationally-acclaimed 

progress report and award-winning poster are available at 

www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html.

The Montreal Protocol is widely hailed as the most successful 

international environmental agreement to date, and without 

it, skin cancer would be an even greater problem than it is 

now. In the 1980s, scientists began to notice a thinning of the 

ozone layer. In 1987, leaders from 24 countries converged 

in Montreal to sign the landmark environmental treaty, the 

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone 

Layer. The Protocol was designed to protect the ozone layer 

by phasing out substances responsible for ozone depletion. 

Today, 191 countries have ratified the treaty. These countries 

are committed to phasing out the production and use of 

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting 

substances, once widely used as coolants in refrigerators 

and aerosol propellants in spray cans. The depletion of the 

ozone layer contributes to an increased amount of ultraviolet 

(UV) radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. Overexposure 

to UV radiation can cause a wide range of health problems, 

particularly skin cancer and eye damage. 

EPA’s Stratospheric Protection Division and its partners have 

made significant strides under the Montreal Protocol to protect 

the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, the environment, and 

public health. EPA estimates that by the year 2165, actions to 

protect and restore the ozone layer will save an estimated 6.3 

million U.S. lives that would have otherwise been lost to skin 

What is the Montreal 

Protocol and what 

does it have to do with 

skin cancer?

How One Nurse in 

Portland, Oregon 

Flags the Importance 

of Sun Safety

Jane “Ladybug” McEldowney, a school 

nurse in Portland, Oregon, flies a flag 

outside her office door to share the UV 

Index forecast for the day with students 

and staff at Outdoor School. She tells 

the sixth graders and their teachers at the 

week-long outdoor science program in the 

Multnomah Education Service District 

about the UV Index and about how to 

receive the ZIP code-specific forecast. 

This enthusiastic nurse made flags of the 

five colors, representing the various levels 

of UV intensity. McEldowney says, “The 

weather report is a breakfast feature of 

our program, so adding UV was easy.” For 

more information about the UV Index and 

to find out how you can receive the UV 

Index forecast daily via e-mail, visit 

www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html.

Educator

Recognition

The word ozone is derived from the Greek 

word meaning “to smell.” Ozone has a 

pungent odor that allows it to be detected 

even at very low amounts. 

Most ozone (about 90%) is found in the 

stratosphere and the remaining amount (about 

10%) is found in the troposphere. 

Ozone molecules have a relatively low 

abundance in the atmosphere. In the 

stratosphere, near the peak of the ozone layer, 

there are up to 12,000 ozone molecules for 

every billion air molecules. In the troposphere 

near the Earth’s surface, ozone is even less 

abundant, with a typical range of 20 to 100 

ozone molecules for each billion air molecules. 

If all of the ozone molecules in the troposphere 

and stratosphere were brought down to the 

Earth’s surface and uniformly distributed into a 

gas layer over the globe, the resulting layer of 

pure ozone would have a thickness of less than 

one-quarter inch. 

For more information on the ozone layer, search 

the United Nations Environment Programme’s Web 

site for Twenty Questions and Answers about the 

Ozone Layer: 2006 Update (http://ozone.unep.

org/Frequently_Asked_Questions/).

Dr. Peyton Weary accepts a U.S. EPA Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection 

Award from Drusilla Hufford, EPA Stratospheric Protection Division Director.

EPA’s Office of Air and 

Radiation, Stratospheric 

Protection Division.

Jane McEldowney at Outdoor School in Portland, OR.

EPA Recognizes Dr. Peyton 

Weary with a Best-of-the-Best 

Stratospheric Ozone 

Protection Award

In 1990, EPA established the Stratospheric Ozone 

Protection Awards to recognize exceptional leadership, 

personal dedication, and technical achievements in 

protecting the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer. In 2007, 

EPA honored the Best-of-the-Best award winners as part 

of the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol. Dr. 

Peyton Weary, retired from the University of Virginia 

School of Medicine, won one of these prestigious awards for 

promoting ozone layer protection to prevent skin cancer. To 

learn more about Dr. Weary and the other award winners, 

go to: www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html.

GO WITH YOUR OWN

GLOW CAMPAIGN

The Skin Cancer Foundation has 

launched a campaign where beauty 

and fashion industry experts speak out 

against tanning. There is a great video 

that chronicles the history of tanning and 

uses archival footage to point out many 

things that are no longer trendy or have 

gone out of fashion, including pet rocks, 

beehive hairdos, mullets, Beta video 

recorders and tanned skin. The video is 

available at www.skincancer.org. 

Did You Know....?

The indoor tanning industry has an estimated 

revenue of $5 billion per year.

Several studies have shown that exposure to 

tanning beds before age 35 increases melanoma

risk by approximately 75 percent (range=35 

percent to 126 percent). 

The American Academy of Dermatology 

(www.aad.org) and the SHADE Foundation 

(www.shadefoundation.org) offer a limited 

number of grants for shade structures. 
6 7

SunWise Monitor SunWise Monitor

Dollars and Sense: Teaching 

Sun Safety to Children Saves

Lives and Money

Cost-Benefit Analysis of SunWise to be Published 

in Pediatrics Online Journal

A study analyzing the cost effectiveness of the SunWise 

Program will be published in the May 2008 issue of 

Pediatrics. The study is unique because few studies to date 

have analyzed the cost-saving benefits of school-based 

health programs, and no study, to our knowledge, has 

analyzed sun safety programs. The primary message of 

the cost-benefit analysis is that teaching children about sun 

safety saves lives and money. So thank you! We couldn’t 

have done this without your help. You are the reason we’re 

making a difference. Specifically:

• Every federal dollar invested in SunWise generates $2 

to $4 in public health benefits.

• The larger the investment in SunWise, the more costbeneficial the program becomes for taxpayers.

• Over the past nine years, federal spending per person 

of less than three cents on EPA’s SunWise Program is 

helping to prevent 15 deaths and more than 3,000 cases 

of skin cancer. For pennies more over the next 7 years, 

the SunWise Program can save 36 to 56 more lives and 

prevent 8,000 to 12,000 more cases of skin cancer.

• Small behavior changes, like wearing a hat or seeking 

shade, can lead to significant health benefits in the future. 

• For very little effort and no cost, teachers can improve 

students’ health (1-2 hours to use activities in the free 

educational, standards-based SunWise Tool Kit).

The full article will be available online in May at 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/.

Nine Awards and 

counting

SunWise recently added two awards to its 

portfolio, bringing the total to nine. 

Montreal Protocol Public Awareness 

Award – At the 19th Meeting of the 

Parties to the Montreal Protocol in 

September 2007, the United Nations 

Environment Programme (UNEP) 

presented the SunWise Program with 

a Montreal Protocol Public Awareness 

Award for “outstanding work in raising 

awareness about ozone depletion and the 

global effort to protect the ozone layer.” 

This is the first international award the 

SunWise Program has received.

Gold Triangle Award – At the 66th 

Annual Meeting of the American 

Academy of Dermatology (AAD), 

SunWise was presented with its fourth 

national award from AAD. The 

prestigious “Gold Triangle Award” 

recognizes excellence in promoting 

healthy behavior in skin care and 

was for our work with Radio Disney 

in the summer of 2007. AAD was 

founded in 1938 and is the largest, most 

influential, and most representative 

of all dermatologic associations with 

a membership of more than 15,000 

physicians worldwide.

Suzie Dicks at Lowell Elementary to announce SunWise 

Day in Pierce County, Washington.

Suzie Dicks and Lisa McGovern accept the AAD Gold 

Triangle Award on behalf of SunWise. 

The 10 states with the highest melanoma 

death rates are: Rhode Island, Wyoming, 

Idaho, New Hampshire, Connecticut, 

Missouri, Washington, Kansas, Oregon, 

and Colorado. The top 10 states for 

melanoma incidence are: Vermont, New 

Hampshire, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, 

Utah, Maine, Massachusetts, Delaware, 

and Wyoming. The National Cancer 

Institute maintains state cancer profiles at 

statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/index.

html. Visit the site to see where your state 

ranks in incidence and death rates for 

melanoma. 

Every square inch of your body has about 

19 million skin cells. 

Dr. Jill Zamzow’s research has found that 

most species of tropical fish (174 and 

counting) have sunscreens in the mucus 

that coats their bodies to help protect 

them from the sun’s damaging rays. 

These sunscreens are actually made by 

the algae and corals that make their way 

into the fish when eaten. Jill says we 

may call her “slime girl.”

Did you know? Continuing SunWise Outreach 

to communities and States 

Washington:

To continue 

spreading SunWise 

throughout 

Washington state, 

EPA announced 

Pierce County 

as a SunWise 

Community at an 

event in 2007 that 

featured the fourth 

grade classes of 

Lowell Elementary 

in Pierce County, 

Washington. The event included a SunWise representative from 

EPA, School Principal Robert Dahl, Tacoma School District 

Deputy Superintendent Ethelda Burke, and Suzie Dicks, member 

of the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program and wife 

of Congressman Norm Dicks, D-Wash. Pierce County Executive 

John Ladenburg not only issued a proclamation declaring May 7, 

2007, SunWise Day, he also issued a joint letter with EPA regarding 

the benefits of the SunWise Program in the school systems, which 

was sent to K-8 schools across the county. Now that Pierce County 

has joined King County, WA as a SunWise Community, we have 

our sights set on the entire state becoming SunWise.

Wisconsin: In order to announce that Wisconsin joined Arizona 

in becoming the second SunWise State, EPA hosted an event 

that featured the third grade class of Northside Elementary in 

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin State 

Superintendent for Public Instruction; Dr. Mark Wegner, Chronic 

Disease Medical Director for the Wisconsin Division of Public 

Health; representatives from the Wisconsin Comprehensive 

Cancer Control Program; an EPA SunWise representative; and a 

representative from Tammy Baldwin’s, D-Wisc., office participated. 

The students answered all of the questions correctly when they 

were quizzed about sun safety and modeled SunWise behaviors 

when they went outside to test the UV-sensitive Frisbee®. In 

Wisconsin, the statewide effort is voluntary and began with EPA 

sending a SunWise Tool Kit to every school district in the state. 

Check out www.epa.gov/sunwise/swcities.html to learn about 

the newest SunWise Communities – they will be announced in May.