Polish Childrens Summer camp, Sztutowo, Poland, 23rd Jun – 07th Jul 2009

Thirty two children took part in Polish summer camp organized within ICEPURE Project. The camp was organized in Sztutowo, at the Baltic seaside. It started in the first week after the end of school year and lasted for two weeks. Before leaving for holidays, the children had physical examination performed and blood and urine samples were collected. The children came to the Department of Dermatology in the morning on 17th, 18th and 19th of June with their parents (10 children every day). Parents signed a written inform consent and agreement for all the procedures, later the detailed history on child’s sun behavior and family history on skin cancer were taken. Nurses collected blood samples, part of it was for total blood count analysis, the next part was centrifuged and serum was stored in -20oC for further analysis for vit. D. These samples will be sent to Denmark. The urine was collected according to the instruction we obtained from Dan. They will be shipped to Sweden in autumn. On the first visit we also performed baseline measurements with Optimizer (erythema, pigmentation and PF in 5 points: buttock skin, upper arm – inner and outer surface, forehead and upper trunk).
First measurements at the camp were done on 24th Jun, and they were done everyday, in the evening, independently on weather. The dosimeters were given the children on 23rd Jun in the evening, there were signed with the child’s initials. The children were told how to wear them. The teachers gave the dosimeters to the children in the morning before breakfast and collected them in the evening, approx. 7 p.m. The data from dosimeters were uploaded every second day. Three dosimeters had to be replaced by new ones and four dosimeters stopped working at the end of the study but were not replaced as there were no spare ones. Everyday a sun diary for each child was filled in.

Ground station placed by Jakob was working for two weeks and data from these dosimeters were also uploaded every second day. In the second week measurements of UVR radiation were done by HPA.

After coming back from the camp, the children came to our Department (7th, 8th and 9th July, ten children everyday) with their parents and blood samples for vit D and urine samples were collected once again. They are stored in our Department now and soon will be sent either to Denmark (serum) or Sweden (urine). Data from the dosimeters and the whole equipment (dosimeters, ground station) were sent to Copenhagen.