Just in time for sun worshipers’ summertime pilgrimage to the beach, the CDC has released a sobering statistic: melanoma rates have doubled in the U.S. over the last 30 years.

The increased rate is a product of both increased exposure to UV radiation, and heightened awareness and better detection, according to the federal agency.

The rate in 1982 was 11.2 cases of the skin cancer per 100,000 Americans in 1982. That figure had increased to 22. 7 per 100,000 in 2011, the CDC announced this week.

“Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and it’s on the rise,” said Tom Frieden, the CDC’s director.

The increase is attributed to an increase in exposure to UV rays – including a growing use of indoor tanning beds, which also supply the radiation, according to the CDC.

“Previous research suggests that melanoma trends reflect increases in cumulative exposure to UV and increases in skin cancer awareness and early detection,” the agency wrote in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, or MMWR.

Some 9,000 people in the U.S. die each year from melanoma. But at the same time cases have increased, mortality rates have declined, due to earlier detection and better treatments.

Costs currently stand at $457 million for melanoma treatment in 2011. With further projected increases, that tab is expected to rise to $1.6 billion by 2030.

The CDC says it is hoping to avert 230,000 cases through a comprehensive skin cancer prevention program.

“Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat and clothes that cover your skin,” said Freiden, the CDC director. “Find some shade if you’re outside, especially in the middle of the day when the dangerous rays from the sun are most intense, and apply broad-spectrum sunscreen.”

Source: ddd.mag