RVers could be at risk for "left side" cancer

While road hazards like tire "gators," and "tail gaters" may be enough to raise your RV driving safety awareness, here’s another one: Left side cancer. A Saint Louis University skin doc warns facial skin cancers are far more predominant on the left side.

"We tend to see more skin cancer on the left side of the face - drivers need to be aware of the amount of sun exposure they receive behind the wheel," said Scott Fosko, M.D., chair of dermatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and co-author of the study. "The cumulative effect of being exposed to the sun builds up over many years."

The results of the study also indicate that men are more likely to be affected by left-side cancers, causing the authors to particularly caution professional drivers of the danger. RVers may spend more time behind the wheel than their commute-to-the-job counterparts, and thus they too, need to be alert to the dangers of skin cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, most of the more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, accounted for a majority of the nearly 12,000 deaths due to skin cancer last year. What about 2012? Expect nearly 132,000 new cases of melanoma to be diagnosed this year alone.

So what's the protection? Sunscreen. Look for a sunscreen that protects not only against UVA rays, but UVB as well. Sunscreen help reduce incidences of skin cancer, but can also help protect against premature wrinkling and skin aging–for those of us who haven’t already been victimized. Sunscreen in the form of tinted glass and UV window filters can also help cut down the amount of skin-damaging UV rays that get into your rig.

photo: barockschloss on flickr.com

City backs off on RV living ban

Williston, North Dakota city fathers have a problem: Too much of a good thing. Williston has become a boom town, complete with thousands of workers who need a place to hang up their boots at night. For many of them, the boot rack is in an RV, and the town council decided too many RVs were too much of a good thing: City commissioners proposed make living in an RV in Williston a crime.

The town fathers didn't plan on the backlash they received. In a recent council meeting, crowds begged the commissioners to send their plan packing and leave the RVers alone. One representative from a convenience store chain says over 70 percent of their employees live in RVs. In 45 minutes of testimony, only two people supported the RV-living ban--a woman who said a "man camp" in her neighborhood made her afraid to let the children outside, and an apartment complex manager who was tired of running RVs off her lot.

Estimates say Williston hosts some three to four hundred full-time RVers. The 2010 census said Williston had some 15,000 residents, but with the boom, figures are hard to come by.

Commissioners asked for a show of hands of those attending the meeting who opposed the proposed ban and a majority flagged the measure down. Taking an official, wait-and-see stance, city fathers then moved to open a 30-day written comment period on the proposal that would force RVers to live in RV parks or get out of Dodge.

photo: lindsey gee on flickr.com

New PR agency lands Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA)

The RV industry has a new public relations agency. Long-time RV industry veteran Jon Tancredi has launched TPR, and its first client is the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).

Under the contract which starts April 23 the new Philadelphia-based public relations agency is charged with promoting the RV life to millions of prospects and current owners by generating positive stories in the national and local media.

While the agency and account are new, the messenger is well-seasoned to position RVing as the best way to travel. In his nearly 20 years of promoting the RV industry, Tancredi has secured positive coverage in all types of media outlets from business (The Wall Street Journal and FOX Business) to general news (TIME magazine and NBC TODAY) to entertainment (Jeopardy! and Keeping Up with the Kardashians).

“This is a fantastic opportunity to continue the job I’ve enjoyed over that past two decades working with RVIA and the industry. I’ve made my home here in the RV industry and it’s great to have the opportunity to come home,” says Tancredi.

Home is as big as the entire industry for Tancredi and his new agency, as the contract between RVIA and TPR is constructed so that TPR is not the agency of record for RVIA and provides a non-exclusivity relationship. This allows TPR to work with multiple businesses throughout the RV industry. This arrangement can provide an effective one-two synergistic punch for future TPR clients from the RV world.

The new agency's website is beginTPR.com.