Free sunscreen dispensers have appeared in five public parks in Toronto.

Free sunscreen dispensers have appeared in five public parks in Toronto.
Photo Credit: David Cornfield Melanoma Fund

Pilot project dispenses free sunscreen in Toronto parks

As the incidence of skin cancer increases in Canada, a pilot project is providing free sunscreen in a handful of parks in Toronto try to help prevent it. Most cases of melanoma are linked to exposure to the sun, and sunscreen with an SPF of over 30 can protect the skin if used properly.

Annette Cyr first noticed free sunscreen dispensers at a baseball park in Fort Myers, Florida four or five years ago. She is a three-time survivor of melanoma herself and chairs the advocacy group, Melanoma Network of Canada.

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Proper use of sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer.
Proper use of sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer. © CBC

‘This is amazing’

“I actually took a picture and sent it back saying like ‘this is amazing.’ They actually had a dispenser on the wall that dispensed three different types of sunscreen for people that are sitting all day in the blazing sun. That’s such a great idea,” says Cyr.

So, she was delighted when two Canadian non-profits teamed up with public health authorities in Toronto to place dispensers in five parks. The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the Douglas Wright Foundation are two organizations set up in memory of two young men who died within a couple of years of being diagnosed with melanoma.

More young people affected

“This isn’t an old person’s disease,” says Cyr. “Tragically, it affects a lot of young people and unfortunately the numbers for young people are growing…and the rates of occurrences are increasing…If sunscreen can be of help, it’s quite an easy solution to prevent what can be a very tragic and terrible disease for many.

“I’m so thrilled that they’ve launched these (free dispensers) and we hope that we’ll see further launches across the country at some time in the future.”

It’s estimated that this year, 7,200 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer and 1,250 will die from it.

Categories: Health, Society
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