Article of the Month - December 2002 - Hats Are Important to Ranchers and Farmers

South Florida Beef - Forage Program

"Article of the Month"
December 2002

Hats Are Important to Ranchers and Farmers

Travis Seawright - Manatee County Extension Livestock Agent
UF/IFAS

Getting run over by a tractor, stomped by livestock, asphyxiated by toxic fumes, or thrown from a horse are potential dangers that ranchers and farmers deal with daily but try to avoid. And Yet they often ignore one of the most dangerous, even deadly, occupational hazards they face- Skin Cancer.

The No. 1 cause for skin cancer is almost universally accepted to be overexposure to sunlight. This makes almost everyone susceptible to some degree. Most ranchers and farmers are at a greater risk because of the occupation they pursue. Others are at risk because of genetics. Consider that most ranchers and farmers are not just exposed to the sun for a few hours each day, but all day every day, and it is not hard to see how they end up at the top of the high risk list.

Ag producers in long-sleeve cotton shirts and jeans are customary sights any time of the year. It used to be common place to see them sporting a broad brimmed cowboy hat. This was a trade mark of the cattle industry, but this has changed.

Many producers have moved away from wearing long sleeves and hats. Instead they wear short sleeves and gimme caps. These gifts from feed stores, salesmen, and friends are great for advertising. However, caps do not provide adequate protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation which causes skin cancer.

The two most common types of skin cancer are: (1) basal cell carcinoma- This type accounts for more than 90 per cent of skin cancers in the United States. (2) Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for the other percentages. The most deadly of the skin cancers is Malignant Melanoma. This cancer is curable if caught in the early stages. Many of our south Florida ranchers and farmers contract this type and too many wait to long to have it treated.

The best ways to reduce risk of skin cancer and heat strokes are to:

Wear wide brim hats and sun glasses, NOT GIMME CAPS
Use adequate skin protection sun screens and reapply throughout the day between 11 am and 3 pm.
Reduce body heat by replacing fluid loss by drinking lots of water and juice: not alcohol.
Cotton shirts and long pants are still one of the best protectors from ultraviolet light.
Use equipment shades, covered pens, tractor cabs, and any other types of shade.
Whenever you can, try to avoid outdoor work between 11 am and 3 pm.

Skin cancer is a preventable disease. Establish good habits in working outdoors and have a check up with a dermatologist each year. The South Florida Beef/Forage agents have lost too many good friends and producers over the past ten years to cancer, so we are concerned about your safety.

The above information was obtained from the following:

Horton, Denise H., Professor aims to reduce skin cancer among farmers. Available online at http://www.uga.edu/columns/042197/camp7.html

Facts about sunscreens. American academy of Dermatology. Available online at: http://www.aad.org/SkinCancerNews/SafeSunTips/sunscreenfacts.htm

Trlica Emilee. Farmers, ranchers at risk for skin cancer. Abilene Report-News, Sunday, August 29, 1999 Available online at: http://www.reporternews.com/1999/local/skin0829.html

Ten questions and answers on what you need to know about skin cancer. Available online at: http://www.musc.edu/oem/skincanc.html

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