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Staying safe in the sun

Make sure your sunglasses are up to the job Credit: Medway Council

Medway Council’s Trading Standards team is conducting inspections on children’s sunglasses to make sure that they offer proper protection from damaging UV light that can cause irreversible damage to their young eyes.

They are also sampling and submitting for test examples of the budget sun lotions to ensure that they offer the purported sun protection factor.

These products are importantly designed to protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.

Medway’s Director of Public Health Dr Alison Barnett says “Malignant melanomas are the least common but most dangerous type of skin cancer, with nearly 12,000 new cases every year in the UK. The incidence has been rising rapidly during the last 20 years.

“Babies and children’s skin is much more sensitive than adult skin and needs to have extra care taken of it. Make sure children are covered up and wear sun hats and long-sleeved clothes and have a high-factor sunscreen on them before they go outside.

Trading Standards officers would like to know if local residents have any particular concerns about any of these products and are asking for them to report the matter to the Consumer Helpline on 08454 040506.

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