Cancer risk ... light through your car window / Pic: Jeff Herbert Source: The Daily Telegraph
SUNLIGHT streaming through your home or car windows, and walking in the soft light of dawn or dusk, could be putting you at risk of skin cancer.
A major new study has revealed that a type of ultraviolet radiation in sunlight which does not cause sunburn is potentially dangerous, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Until now the focus of skin cancer campaigns has been Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, which contributes to sunburn and is generally considered to be the major cause of deadly melonomas.
But the investigation by respected scientists at London's Kings College for the first time compared UVB radiation with Ultraviolet A1 (UVA) radiation, which makes up 75 per cent of sunlight.
They found exposure to UVA also has "the potential to cause skin cancer'' and that, worryingly, it damages the deeper basal layer of the skin "where cell division in the skin takes place and some types of skin cancer originate.''
Australian skin cancer expert Professor Michael Kimlin said yesterday the research was extremely important and should be a warning to Australian, who have the among the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
"What these researchers have found out is that UVA might actually contribute to skin cancer and that you don't have to burn to be at risk, as UVA exposure rarely causes sunburn, it is UVB that causes sunburn,'' Prof Kimlin, Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Sun and Health, said.
"Window glass filters all of the incoming UVB radiation, however, they transmit almost 100 per cent of UVA radiation.
"So, if you are driving in a car with the windows up, you may be indeed receiving UVA exposure and contributing to your risk of skin cancer.''
Prof Kimlin said the research should make people realise that getting outside at dawn or dusk without sunscreen was not as safe as thought.
"The highest levels of UVA radiation from the sun are in the early morning and late afternoon, which are the times that people typically spend outside in the heat of summer,'' he said.
"From this research it appears that UVA is contributing to skin cancer, then were also at high risk at these times of the day and need to consider sun protection at these times.''
The research also again highlights the dangers of tanning on a sunbed because sunbeds' primary light is UVA.
"The findings indicate...sunbeds may be more carcinogenic than previously thought,'' the Kings Collge scientists said.
Skin cancers account for 80 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers in Australia each year.
ashton kutcher jehovah witness mike huckabee sarah silverman
0 comments:
Post a Comment