Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 27, 1993                   TAG: 9306250095
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HATS OFFER SERIOUS PROTECTION

We hope your correspondent from Rye Hollow won't sacrifice his health by wearing a cap just because "you can throw it in the washing machine."

Cowboy hats, sombreros and Stetsons aren't just for looks. Cowboys wore those `10-gallons" for protection - protection from the sun as well as the rain. Perhaps today's suburban counterparts (farmers, lifeguards, gardeners) should take a little of the same advice.

Watch the next golf tournament. Many pros, including Greg "the Shark" Norman, are favoring wide-brimmed hats, and the hats are not affecting their games.

Wide-brimmed hats help protect the ears and neck from the sun's rays, a vital consideration when you're home on the range. Overexposure to the sun can lead to melanoma, a skin cancer.

This year, 750 Virginians will get melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, and 150 people will die from it, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Virginia Cooperative Extension is working with the Cancer Society to encourage anyone who spends a lot of time in the sun, including Mr. Kark, to wear protective clothing, especially wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen. \ Bonnie Braun\ Virginia Cooperative Extension\ Blacksburg