Letter to Editor: Increasing sun protection behaviors among Iranian farmworkers: a call for action

Dear Editor, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year between two and three million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132 000 malignant melanoma cases occur worldwide. Incidence rates have been increasing in several countries, including Iran, where skin cancers are the most common type of cancer. A recent 10-year retrospective study conducted in Iran found a higher incidence of melanoma in male farmworkers. That is because among occupations, outdoor workers and farm workers consistently have the highest rates of skin cancers, due largely to high exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Some estimates suggest that sun exposure is the cause of 90% of all melanomas.6 High levels of sun exposure early in life have also been implicated in increasing the chances of developing skin cancers, and farm workers commonly begin heavy sun exposure at a young age.