Ban baseball caps, Aussie cancer council urges

Sydney - The Cancer Council of New South Wales says baseball caps should be banned from schools because they place children at an unacceptable risk of developing skin cancers later in life, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Cancer Council NSW research reveals that one in two primary school children in the state wear baseball caps to school, despite the fact that the caps do not provide adequate sun protection because they leave wearers’ ears, cheeks and necks uncovered and exposed to cancer-causing UV rays.

The research also reveals that nearly half of parents surveyed incorrectly believe caps offer adequate sun protection.

The Morning Herald quotes Vanessa Rock, skin cancer prevention manager at Cancer Council NSW, as saying, “This is a very important issue and parents need to know the facts. … The baseball cap is really providing very limited protection (and) your child needs to go to school with a broad-brimmed hat on.”

The Cancer Council NSW is urging the Department of Education to mandate broad-brimmed hats in NSW public schools, but the council is also urging schools not to wait for a statewide mandate but to ban baseball caps on their own.

Two of three Australian children will develop skin cancer later in life, the Morning Herald reports.

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