File photo.

Pole-mounted, battery-operated dispensers supplying 30+ SPF sunscreen will be positioned at 33 state parks this summer, including Moraine State Park.

A Friday news release from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said the department is expanding a program offering free sunscreen at state parks with beaches and swimming pools throughout Pennsylvania.

A cancer prevention fund from Department of Health covers the costs of the sunscreen.

DCNR’s sunscreen program began in 2017 when its Bureau of State Parks began supplying free sunscreen at Codorus and Pine Grove Furnace state parks. The program now has the potential to reach an estimated 1.5 million park visitors this season, according to the news release.

“Protection from ultraviolet rays is critical as the weather warms and we spend more time outdoors,” said DCNR secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “With Memorial Day weekend here, we want to promote safe outdoor activity and remind outdoors enthusiasts that more than 8,500 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each day.”

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