BACKGROUND In an earlier study on malignant melanoma incidence in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the USA, we found a strong association between the introduction of FM radio broadcasting at full-body resonant frequencies and increasing melanoma incidence. The purpose of the current study was to review mortality and incidence data for malignant melanoma of the skin in Sweden and its temporal relatio...

The UV Index was introduced in Canada in 1992 in response to growing concerns about the potential increase of ultraviolet (UV) radiation due to ozone depletion. The index was adopted as a standard indicator of UV levels by the World Meteorological Organization and World Health Organization in 1994. This survey article gives an overview of the UV Index and the main features of its geographical d...

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder of DNA repair characterized by sun sensitivity and UV radiation-induced skin and mucous membrane cancers. Initially described in 1874 by Moriz Kaposi in Vienna, nearly 100 years later, James Cleaver in San Francisco reported defective DNA repair in XP cells. This eventually provided the basis for a mechanistic link between sun e...

Experiments characterizing the biological effects of sun exposure have usually involved solar simulators. However, they addressed the worst case scenario i.e. zenithal sun, rarely found in common outdoor activities. A non-extreme ultraviolet radiation (UV) spectrum referred as "daily UV radiation" (DUVR) with a higher UVA (320-400 nm) to UVB (280-320 nm) irradiance ratio has therefore been defi...

This paper has provided the first set of quantitative data of diffuse erythemal UV and UVA in tree shade at a sub-tropical Southern Hemisphere latitude. Over the summer, approximately 60% of the erythemal UV radiation in the tree shade is due to the diffuse component. Similarly, approximately 56% of the UVA radiation in the tree shade is due to the diffuse component. In the tree shade these dif...

A current threat to the marine ecosystem is the high level of solar ultraviolet radiation (UV). Large whales have recently been shown to suffer sun-induced skin damage from continuous UV exposure. Genotoxic consequences of such exposure remain unknown for these long-lived marine species, as does their capacity to counteract UV-induced insults. We show that UV exposure induces mitochondrial DNA ...

Reflection of solar adiation usually exhibits a strong dependence on viewing geometry relative to the Sun's position. Such a dependence needs taking into account in remote sensing studies employing satellite measurements made with scanning radiometers. While many investigations have been conducted concerning the angular variation of radiation in the total solar, visible, and IR wavelengths, no ...

Polymorphic light eruption (PLE) is a photodermatosis (i.e. "sun allergy") with a high prevalence, particularly among young women in temperate climates. It is characterized through itchy skin lesions of variable morphology, occurring in spring or early summer on sun exposed body sites. As yet the exact etiology and pathogenesis of PLE are unknown although a resistance to ultraviolet (UV)-radiat...

In recent years, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been linked to a number of human health problems, including sunburn, skin cancer, premature aging of the skin, cataracts, and immune suppression (1–3). At the same time, evidence of aerosol-induced damage to the earth’s primary UV filter, the ozone layer, has increased (4 ), and skin cancer rates have risen to more than 900,000 cases p...

CONTEXT Exposure to UV-B radiation in sunlight has been shown to increase the risk of cataract formation in high-risk occupational groups, but risk to the population has not been quantified. OBJECTIVES To determine the ocular exposure to UV-B radiation in sunlight for a population of older persons and to determine the association between UV-B and lens opacities. DESIGN The Salisbury Eye Eva...