Economic evidence to support UVR policy
February 1, 2019
Evidence on how governments can implement cost-effective and cost-saving policy measures to reduce exposure to solar and artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is limited
Inside this UVR policy pack
- UVR policy pack: background evidence
- Evidence-informed UVR policy actions
- Key statistics: Exposure to solar and artificial UVR in Canada
- Public perceptions of the issue of exposure to UVR and cancer
- Economic evidence to support UVR policy
- Indicators to measure progress on UVR policy
What economic evidence exists in support of UVR reduction policy approaches?
Data on the economic burden of skin cancer at national level is limited:
- A 2010 report on the economic burden of skin cancer in Canada projected that the total economic burden (direct and indirect costs) of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers would be $921.8 million by 2031.1
- A 2018 report on the economic burden of occupational non-melanoma skin cancer due to solar UVR in Canada, estimated the economic burden (direct, indirect and intangible costs) of newly diagnosed occupational non-melanoma skin cancers as $28.9 million.2
Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of built environment approaches to reducing solar UVR exposure and banning or restricting the use of commercial tanning units for skin cancer prevention is limited 3
Evidence exists to support national public education programs to prevent skin cancer, as well as government investment into these programs 3
References
1 Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. (2010). The economic burden of skin cancer in Canada: Current and projected. Retrieved from: http://krueger.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/skincancer.pdf
2 Mofidi, A., Tompa, E., Spencer, J., Kalcevich, C., Peters, C. E., Kim, J. et al. (2018). The economic burden of occupational non-melanoma skin cancer due to solar radiation. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 15(6). doi: 10.1080/15459624.2018.1447118.
3 Propel Centre for Population Health Impact. (2018). Rapid review: Economic Analyses of policies to decrease ultraviolet radiation exposure. Waterloo, Ontario: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo.