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To fight against the increase in skin cancers in the country, the Dutch authorities have taken a practical and judicious measure: to make sunscreen available and free of charge in strategic public places.
As summer approaches, we can never repeat it enough: sunscreen is essential to protect yourself from the sun’s rays, avoid burns, and protect yourself from skin cancer, which is constantly increasing in Europe. But to go further than this prevention message, the Netherlands is testing a new initiative this year: providing residents with sun protection dispensers in public places. The objective is to raise public awareness of the risks of exposure to the sun, without financial constraints.
Distributors placed in strategic locations
As temperatures rise, the initiative was deployed last weekend at a festival in the city of Breda. But this is not a one-off operation: distributors have also been placed in schools, universities, parks and all other public and busy spaces. The operation “is not cheap” can we read in Dutch news. It takes several thousand euros to install these sophisticated terminals, which record the number of users and give them advice based on weather conditions.
“It costs money, but we think the health of our residents and visitors is very important”explained to the NOS media, Jacco Knape, an elected official from the seaside resort of Katwijk.
In addition, other places like the VieCuri hospital, located in Venlo, have found a more economical and equally effective solution. “by recycling unused hydroalcoholic gel dispensers”.
Ending the increase in skin cancers, a European priority
With this major operation, the authorities concerned intend to fight against “one of the most common cancers in the Netherlands”, precise DutchNews. It is also set up with the help of local anti-cancer associations.
According to the Dutch site, setting up free vending machines was a request “increasing strongly in recent years” in the country.
It must be said that according to the NGO World Cancer Research Fund, the Netherlands was, in 2020, the fourth country in the world most affected by melanoma, and the seventh in terms of non-melanocytic cancers.
A scourge that also affects France and should encourage us to protect ourselves more actively. As a reminder in our country, 50 to 70% of skin cancers are also directly linked to overexposure to UVA/UVB rays. In total, 80,000 new carcinomas and 11,200 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year in France.