Sun Kills 60,000 a Year, Says WHO

As many as 60,000 people a year die from too much sun, warns the World Health Organization. The bulk of the deaths are from skin cancer caused by excess exposure to the sun’s harmful rays, ultraviolet radiation, say WHO. UVR also causes sunburn, triggers cold sores and ages the skin, according to its report, the first to outline the global
health burden of sun exposure. Simple measures, such as covering up when in the sun, could cut the deaths.Dr Maria Neira, Director for Public Health and the Environment at WHO, said: "We all need some sun, but too much sun can be dangerous - and even deadly. "Fortunately, diseases from UV such as malignant melanomas, other skin cancers and cataracts are almost entirely preventable through simple protective measures." Of the 60,000 deaths, 48,000 are caused by malignant melanomas and 12,000 by other skin cancers, the report Global Burden of Disease of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation estimates. More than 1.5 million "disability-adjusted life years" or DALYS - a measure of the loss of full functioning due to disease and death - are lost every year due to sun exposure, WHO believes. WHO and the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations are urging people to be extra-vigilant when out in the sun to protect them from UVR Everyone is exposed to UVR from the sun. Small amounts are beneficial to health, and play an essential role in the production of vitamin D by the skin. However, overexposure to UVR is associated with a variety of serious and deadly health problems.