CNN.com – Sun kills 60,000 a year, WHO says – Jul 26, 2006
“The application of sunscreens should not be used to prolong sun exposure but rather to protect the skin when exposure is unavoidable,” the report advises.
When the World Health Organization tells me to only go outside when absolutely necessary, I stop paying attention. Sure, we should do more to protect the ozone layer. But staying inside with the A/C blasting isn’t really the way to go.
I’m too lazy to look up numbers, but I imagine that 60,000 people a year makes the sun about as dangerous as a pair of toenail clippers. How many people are there in the world? Four billion? What percentage of four billion is 60,000? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s 0.0015%. You’re more likely to be struck by lightning while being mauled by a bear and holding a winning lottery ticket. Actually, I made that up. But seriously. More people die from heart disease because they stayed inside worrying about skin cancer than die from actually getting skin cancer. I made that up, too, but I guarantee it’s true or your money back.