Skin-Cancer Prevention Campaign Declares Today National Don't Fry Day

May 28, 2010 — -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have launched a skin cancer prevention campaign that declares today Don't Fry Day.

The campaign encourages people not to "fry" their skins by overexposure to the sun or tanning beds. It also aims to raise awareness and provide information and resources about the disease.

Click HERE for more on National Don't Fry Day.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. More than 2 million cases of the disease are diagnosed every year, according to the American Cancer Society.

"Good Morning America" co-anchor Sam Champion had surgery on live television earlier this month to remove a cancerous spot -- a basal cell carcinoma -- from his skin.

It was his fifth basal cell carcinoma removal and, Champion said, he had the latest procedure on television to highlight the national problem.

Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer, and one in five people will be diagnosed with some form of the disease in their lifetime, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, an international organization that urges awareness, prevention and early detection of the disease.

Summer Sun Safety Tips

There are three main kinds of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common and it's rarely fatal. Squamous cell carcinoma is diagnosed about 250,000 times per year. It, too, is easily treated, although it results in about 2,500 deaths per year. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, resulting in 122,000 cases in 2009, with 8,600 fatalities, according to the American Cancer Society.

With people heading out to the beach for this Memorial Day weekend, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention is urging safe behavior. Here are some of its tips:

Avoid prolonged, direct sunlight. Seek the shade when you can.

Use sunscreen. The American Cancer Society recommends that people wear sunscreen every day, and that the sunscreen they use have an SPF (or sun protection factor) of at least 30. Be sure to apply sunscreen lotions and creams liberally. Apply sunscreen every half-hour before going out into the sun, and re-apply it every two hours, or more frequently if necessary.

Click HERE to learn more about the kinds of sunscreens you should choose.

Cover up. Wear protective clothing and accessories, including wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses.

Don't forget the umbrella and lip balm.

More Skin Cancer Resources

The following is a list of skin cancer resources. You can download smartphone apps and website widgets, take quizzes and learn a lot more about skin cancer.

Click HERE to see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's UV Index national forecast map.

Click HERE to get the EPA's UV Index forecast app on your smartphone.

Click HERE to add the EPA's UV index widget on your website.

Click HERE to visit the EPA's Sun WiseProgram, a health and environment program to teach children to protect themselves in the sun.

Click HERE for more sun protection tips, and click HERE to visit the American Academy of Dermatology's "Be Sun Smart" page.

Click HERE for the do's and don'ts of tanning this summer.

Click here to return to the "Good Morning America" Web site.