Debunking The 80-18 Statement
by Patricia E. Reykdal and Donald L. Smith
Author’s note: The statement “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” has been used by the anti-UVR coalition so many times that the media publish this false, deceptive and misleading statement without question. Therefore, the media help perpetuate a lie that has the potential to damage the health and welfare of the American public.
Q: How did the statement “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” originate?
A: An article by Stern, et al, titled “Risk Reduction for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer With Childhood Sunscreen Use” was published in the May 1986 issue of Archives of Dermatology. In the article, the authors stated “Using a mathematical model based on epidemiologic data, we quantified the potential benefits of using a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 and estimate that regular use of such a sunscreen during the first 18 years of life would reduce the lifetime incidence by these tumors by 78 percent.” Thus, it never was stated in the article that 80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure comes in the first 18 years of life. What the authors really said was that if you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 during the first 18 years of life, you might reduce your lifetime risk of developing a non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma) by 78 percent (almost 80 percent). That is far different from saying that 80 percent of a person’s lifetime exposure to UVR comes in their first 18 years of life.
Q: Who agrees that the statement “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” is false?
A: A paper written by Godar, Urback, Gasparro and van der Leun titled “Childhood UV Doses: Reality vs. Myth” was presented on July 16, 2002, at the American Society of Photobiology meeting in Quebec City, Canada, by Diane Godar, Ph.D., of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The abstract stated “Since 1986, people were told they got about 80 percent of their lifetime UV dose by the age of 18. This myth originated from a paper that concluded diligent use of sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) during the first 18 years of life could reduce the lifetime incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers by 78 percent. This conclusion, combined with the fact that squamous cell carcinoma is dependent on the cumulative dose, mistakenly led others to believe people get about 80 percent of their lifetime UV does by the age of 18. However, analysis of actual exposure data shows that people get less than 25 percent of their lifetime dose by the age of 18.”
Q: Who else agrees that the statement “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” is false?
A: In response to our Aug. 28, 2002, letter to Health Canada informing them of the Godar, et al, article and requesting that the statement “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” be removed from all documents published by Health Canada, the following response was received:
“Please be aware that all mentions to the 80 percent value
will be removed from our Federal government documents. This statement was based
on a misinterpretation of data.”
[P. Reinhardt/Health Canada]
Q: Will the media continue publishing this false, deceptive and misleading statement?
A: Probably. Unfortunately, the media seem to have lost sight of the fact that they have a solemn responsibility to check the veracity of statements like “80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure happens by the age of 18” before publishing them. Thus, the failure by the media to verify statements like this serve to enable the anti-UVR coalition to disseminate false, deceptive, biased and misleading information to the detriment of the health and welfare of the American public.
One only can hope that professional journalists will begin letting the anti-UVR coalition know that they will no longer publish their damaging lies.
