A third of people living in the skin cancer capital of the world misunderstand how it's caused, the Cancer Council says.
One in three Queenslanders surveyed in the charity's national sun survey didn't realise UV rays are the only cause of sunburn, with 18 per cent mistakenly attributing the disease to heat or sunlight.
Cancer Council Queensland spokeswoman Katie Clift said sun protection was a must when the UV index was at level three or above, which was most the year in Queensland.
Ms Clift said exposure to UV radiation also caused premature ageing, damage to eyes and could lead to skin cancer.
She said most skin cancers could be prevented through simple sun protection measures like wearing sunscreen and protective clothing.
It is estimated more than 3600 Queenslanders are diagnosed with melanoma each year while over 350,000 non-melanoma skin cancers are treated.
