Study: Summer Driving May Increase Skin Cancer
Going out for a drive this summer? Don’t forget to wear your sunscreen. There’s a new study out that warns us that people in the US are more likely to develop skin cancer on the left side of their bodies. And the cause could be driving.
You know how on a nice, warm day, you roll down the window and rest your arm, letting it soak up some rays? Well, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, this could lead to cancer. Using a large government database, researchers from the University of Washington took a look at melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma, two deadly forms of skin cancer. They were surprised to find that when these types of cancers were found on just one side of the body, it showed up predominantly on the left side (that’s more than half of the cases). So what could be the cause? Researchers think that exposure to ultraviolet rays on the driver’s side could be the culprit.
Even though driving with the windows up offers some protection, you can still get burned by the sun. And if you choose to roll it down or take the top off (of your car, that is), your exposure increases. So perhaps applying sunscreen should be made part of your daily routine in the morning. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
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