During a fittingly sunny afternoon, Governor Mike Leavitt pronounced a gubernatorial declaration that the month of May become Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month in Utah.

Leavitt made the address at the site of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Research Hospital in Salt Lake City on April 30. The modest Tuesday crowd of about 30 included several doctors as well as construction workers.

"You are 66 percent more likely to get skin cancer on top of Timpanogos than sunbathing on a beach in Los Angeles," Leavitt said addressing the crowd.

Leavitt also mentioned other startling facts, such as Utahns being 115 times more likely to contract skin cancer than New Yorkers.

"The bottom line is that skin cancer is huge in Utah - huge," said Shelley Thomas, the senior director of communications and public affairs at HCI.

In his speech, Leavitt attributed the high risk of cancer in Utah to a combination of climate, altitude, outdoor lifestyle and a high percentage of individuals with fair skin.

After Leavitt finished, Dr. Glen Bowen, co-director of HCI's Melanoma Clinic, spoke of the importance of wearing sunscreen and being aware of specific risk factors - personal history, family history, light skin and/or hair, a blistering sunburn before the age of 18 and atypical moles.

Several of the construction workers at the site received more than a speech. Dr. Glen Bowen, co-director of HCI's melanoma clinic, provided them with "SunSwipes," moist towelettes containing SPF 30 sunscreen.

"They're nothing fancy, it's just clever packaging," said Bowen about the wipes.

Construction Workers from Layton Construction have been working on the HCI's new cancer research hospital since August 2001, ironically becoming prime candidates for skin cancer. The construction team plans to complete the project by the summer of 2004.

The month of May was not a random selection.

"The Academy of Dermatology picked May because most of our sunburns come after we've been cooped up in winter," Bowen said. "We want to get the word out right when vacation season hits."

Bowen also said Utahns should take multiple precautions.

"Don't use sunscreen in place of a hat or just keeping your shirt on - it's like driving and just depending on your airbag."

Bowen said there are several different types of skin cancer, and most of them are non-lethal.

Melanoma, however is very lethal. Bowen said someone dies every hour from it. "There are 50,000 cases of it with 8000 deaths a year," he said.

Bowen also said that skin cancer is on the rise more than any other cancer. It is now more common than breast cancer for women ages 25 to 30.

Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Apr 2002