For Peru Schoolkids, Sun Hats Now De Rigeur
FRANKLIN BRICENO, Associated Press
Posted: 9:27 am PDT March 28, 2011
Updated: 9:32 am PDT March 28, 2011
LIMA, Peru -- Hundreds of thousands of Peruvian children returned from summer vacation this month with a new addition to their school uniform: a hat.
Education officials in the highland provinces of Cuzco and Arequipa ordered hats for their 740,000 students after a study by a Cuzco hospital found that most children had developed skin irregularities due to exposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Some private schools have chosen baseball caps in school colors. Public schools in Arequipa use broad-brimmed blue cloth hats. The only requirement is that children cover their heads against a midday sun that in this equatorial region can burn human skin in minutes, especially at high altitudes.
The school hat rule arises from increasing awareness of the problem across the region as local scientists better track the data and officials alert the public when levels rise.
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