“Beach Lifeguards′ Sun Exposure and Sun Protection in Spain”

Risk assessment of occupational skin cancer among outdoor workers in southern Spain: local pilot study

“…In our case, less than a third of the workers habitually used sunscreen, with notable differences among the occupational groups. This practice is well accepted among beach workers, but much less so among construction and maintenance workers, whose reported values in this respect are lower than those obtained in earlier research for lifeguards,10 and lower than those reported for other professional sectors in the same geographical area 11 38. Finally, although most of the workers who use sunscreen choose one with SPF ≥30, very few systematically renew its application, and so their protection against UV radiation decreases during the working day.…”

“…However, in many countries, including Spain, skin cancer is not recognised as an occupational disease. Our research group, through the Soludable campaign, has studied the habits, attitudes and knowledge related to sun exposure and photoprotection of different population groups, including health professionals,5 the educational community,6 beachgoers,7 specific groups of athletes8 9 and workers highly exposed to solar radiation, such as lifeguards10 and physical education teachers 11. In Spain, little previous research has been conducted to determine the typical values of effective erythema dose of solar UV exposure received by outdoor workers.…”

“…In Spain, little previous research has been conducted to determine the typical values of effective erythema dose of solar UV exposure received by outdoor workers. To our knowledge, dosimetry of UV radiation received have only been performed in Spain for construction workers in Valencia,12 gardeners and lifeguards in Valencia13 and lifeguards in Malaga 10…”

Protective Measures From Solar Ultraviolet Radiation for Beach Lifeguards in Tuscany (Italy): Shade and Clothing Strategies

“…Outdoor workers, such as lifeguards, working in areas with high UV radiation level are exposed to an extremely high risk of sun related cancer [ 12 , 14 , 27 , 59 , 60 ] and concerning this the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) [ 61 ] has classified UV radiation as carcinogenic for humans. In Italy skin cancer (KCs, but also actinic keratosis considered by some to be in situ SCC) are included in the list of occupational diseases compensated for in workers exposed to UV radiation by the Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority, nevertheless occupational skin cancers in Italy are largely underreported [ 59 ].…”

“…Most working, recreational and sporting activities are associated with personal exposure levels above the internationally proposed threshold limit value [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] ]. Concerning beach lifeguard activities, few studies have quantified professional UV exposure [ 27 , 28 ].…”