Teachers ignore health benefits of vitamin D, cancel student beach field trip over skin cancer fears

Wednesday, July 06, 2016 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: skin cancer, sunlight, vitamin D

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(NaturalNews) Students attending St. George's Preparatory School in Jersey won't be going to the beach this year for their annual field trip, thanks to the pervasive spread of anti-sun propaganda, reports the UK's Telegraph. Fearful that the youngsters might develop skin cancer, teachers at the school reportedly canceled the trip at the last minute, opting instead to cordon their students off in a "safer," indoor environment free of natural light.

The Channel Island off England's coast has long been a popular holiday hotspot, attracting tens of thousands of Britons every year looking to escape the grind and gloom of other UK locales. Jersey, after all, boasts more than 2,000 hours of sunshine per year, and average temperatures of around 68 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 15 degrees higher than the rest of the country.

But, all the fun in the sun that takes place here is raising some eyebrows, especially among health authorities who are worried about people getting skin cancer. A recently-issued report by the Jersey Health Department indicates that some 88 people out of the island's population of 100,000 people were diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2014, and that similar numbers persist today.

This represents less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the entire population that developed skin cancer that year. But it's enough to have spooked administrators at St. George's, who feel that it's better to just keep students out of the sun altogether, rather than risk possibly adding to the number of diagnoses – a sentiment that's been parroted by representatives from cancer organizations like the Donna Ann and Melanoma Charity.

"As a charity we are extremely concerned that 88 patients were diagnosed with malignant melanoma," Kerry Petulla, a Donna Ann official, told the Telegraph, noting that the figures are "alarming."

"We are interpreting the figures as members of the public would interpret them ... . Our fear is that Jersey could turn out to have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world."

Vitamin D from the sun helps protect against cancer

Stopping for a minute to consider that many Britons have naturally paler skin – lighter-skinned people tend to burn more easily if their skin isn't first "primed" to receive sunlight – it makes sense that skin cancer rates are likely higher in this particular area of the world. Many Britons also routinely slather on sunscreen whenever they go outdoors, which depending on the ingredients in these lotions, may also be a major contributing factor to skin cancer.

There are many potential reasons why melanoma rates are higher in Jersey, but health authorities and school officials at St. George's have chosen to take a very narrow view by blaming the sun, period. As a result, students will now be deprived of ultraviolet rays that, when tempered by an adequate amount of antioxidants, can actually help prevent skin cancer.

The sun, as many of our readers well know, is immuno-protective in the form of vitamin D, which is produced inside the body when the skin is exposed to natural sunlight. Avoiding the sun and constantly wearing sunscreen all the time inhibits vitamin D production, which is why many people throughout the world – including in the UK – are woefully deficient in this vital nutrient, which is also anti-cancer, by the way.

The Vitamin D Council has been studying the effects of vitamin D for many years, having concluded that vitamin D from the sun is one of the most powerfully-protective nutrients in existence. And its role in preventing cancer – not causing it – simply can't be overlooked when it comes to taking a scientific approach to this important issue.

Sources for this article include:

Telegraph.co.uk

EWG.org

VitaminDCouncil.org

Science.NaturalNews.com