Compare AZ (9) and AL (5).
I've lived in both places. As far as the UV death rays go, AZ wins hands down!
Posted on 05/07/2003 10:54:41 AM PDT by HuntsvilleTxVeteran
WORLD-first Melbourne research into a little-known but deadly skin cancer could save thousands of lives.
Australia has the highest rate of melanomas in the world / AP
Up to 350 Australians die a year because of this cancer, which begins as a tiny pink pimple-like tumour.
But breakthrough research is set to shake up how the public and doctors check for melanomas.
Alfred hospital doctors found that nodular melanomas accounted for less than 15 per cent of melanoma cancers but caused up to 70 per cent of the deadliest type, called deep melanomas.
Most people look only for irregular-shaped brown/black spots.
But the research shows the pimple-like melanoma is the most dangerous.
These are often missed at the start – when survival rates are highest – because people have been taught to focus on common melanomas.
Just one severe case of sunburn can cause a nodular melanoma, which can appear anywhere on the body, often the head or neck. It grows much faster than other melanomas, so short delays in treatment can be fatal.
The Alfred hospital has set up a website to help patients tell normal lumps from nodular melanomas.
Almost half of people with nodular melanomas left undetected until they are deep – thicker than 3mm – will die. If detected early, when thinner than 1mm, the survival rate is 95 per cent.
Study co-author Associate Professor John Kelly said the discovery would save many lives if people followed the advice.
"Worldwide, thousands of lives; and in Australia, if it worked perfectly, we're talking 300, 350 lives a year," said Professor Kelly, head of the Alfred's Victorian Melanoma Service.
"It won't be perfect of course but that's the potential. That's the target."
Nodular melanomas are raised from the start.
They are usually red or pink, round or oval, and grow over months.
The Alfred today launches a campaign to alert the public to the dangers and features of nodular melanomas.
Doctors will receive the information through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the National Divisions of General Practice.
Many GPs cut out melanomas themselves, without referring to a specialist, so training them to spot nodular melanomas is crucial to saving lives.
The research was sparked because Alfred doctors noticed melanoma deaths had not dropped despite massive awareness campaigns.
"In spite of all the advances in early diagnosis, death rates had risen over the last 40 years progressively," Professor Kelly said.
"We've done a very good job detecting common melanomas early, and there's great public awareness, and very good awareness among not only doctors but health care professionals in general.
"But nodular melanomas are clearly a different problem, and that needs to be addressed."
He said they made up 10 to 15 per cent of all melanomas, but accounted for 60 to 70 per cent of high-risk melanomas. High-risk melanomas, or deep melanomas, are those thicker than 3mm, and are the most life-threatening.
"Nodular melanoma is not being detected early. They look different to what we've generally been teaching people," he said.
Australia has the highest rate of melanomas in the world, with 7000 to 8000 found a year.
About 1000 are nodular melanomas and up to 350 will cause death.
About 800 Australians die a year from all types of melanoma.
Professor Kelly said about half of nodular melanomas would become deep, and about 45 per cent of people with deep melanoma would die.
Two Alfred hospital studies revealing the dangers of nodular melanomas have been published in Archives of Dermatology and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Nodular melanomas can grow to a dangerous thickness in as little as two months, so anyone with a suspect lump for longer than a month is urged to see a GP.
Cancer Council Victoria director Professor David Hill yesterday welcomed the discovery.
"We are lucky in Australia and Victoria to have some of the leading skin cancer researchers in the world, and Professor Kelly is one of them," Professor Hill said.
"This is an important insight to the way in which people and their doctors can become aware of a dangerous form of skin cancer."
Net link: www.alfred.org.au/departments/victorianmelanoma service.html
Or www.sunsmart.com.au
Hang 'em, I took physics in college, your explanation was interesting, but not entirely correct. The amount of water vapor in the air has NO bearing on the amount of UVA, UVB or UVC rays of the sun beating down on the earth's surface.
Refraction of light, yes, will "appear" like more of a thermal/heat burn, but has no bearing from the harmful amount of burning ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is the chemical reactions from the UVA, UVB, ect...that occur within the skin cells that we believe cause skin cancer.
I wrote the American Cancer Society about this, and this was the reply I received this morning:
Thank you for contacting your American Cancer Society.
Your message indicates that you would like to know why skin cancer is far greater in certain parts of the United States than others. It seems you are interested in knowing if humidity is a significant factor in developing skin cancer in these areas.
The vast majority of skin cancers are due to unprotected ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure. Most of this radiation comes from sunlight. People who live in areas with year-round, bright sunlight have a higher risk. For example, the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer is twice as high in Arizona compared to Minnesota. This is because of the length of time the sun is out for longer periods of the day, and the summer season is typically longer in areas like Arizona. Spending a lot of time outdoors for work or recreation without protective clothing and sunscreen increases your risk. The risk is also increased for people who live at high altitudes.
We hope this information adequately addresses your question.
Hope this helps. Be safe this summer everyone.
Thanks for the link, but it doesn't change anything. You don't seem to understand that Arizona is not dry 100% of the time. The deadliest UV ray index readings come through here when our dewpoints reach in the 60 degree range.
As for your question, all it would do would be more comfortable while being out there under cloud cover, rather than in the sun. The damage would still be the same.
Compare AZ (9) and AL (5).
I've lived in both places. As far as the UV death rays go, AZ wins hands down!
there's no question about that! I've said it, and it's been stated ad hominem in research. It is well known.
The point is, humidity in the air is a "false" protection idea, in thinking that the UV rays aren't as harmful.
As far as humid Flori-duh and Texas, I guarantee you that someone living in Miami or Houston doesn't give a rat's patutti whether the index is a 9 there or a 10, as it is in AZ. Fact is, it's all deadly. When you live with malignant melenoma because you've spent too much time getting exposed to UV, it really doesn't matter, does it?
And, according to the graph you posted, it proves my point. I had mentioned Hawaii earlier. They have high humidity there, and the index surpasses even AZ.
Just my humble O, granted, places like Alabama aren't destination resort-type places that people flock to. The humidity is so high in those areas in the country, no one stays outdoors for long in the summer months. So, therefore, less chance of UV exposure would be expected.
That is reason why the ACS states it's the rate of exposure. You can spend a lot more time in the sun in the other areas where the index isn't as high, and expect to have the same damage as someone only spending a smaller amount of time outdoors in AZ when the index is high. That's all that means.
I've lived in the SW for 40 years and have been in the sun much of that time. Thanks be to God, I'm skin-cancer free, according to my last check this month.
My prayers go out to those who's spent a lot of time in the sun, without the protection, (who live where the indexes are less than AZ) who are battling skin cancer now.
UV index is still at 10. It will stay that way through most of the summer (I've actually seen it hit 11 in the papers...during monsoon season.)
To illustrate these effects (primarily for clouds), the plots in Figure 7 are actual field measurements of UV irradiance at 305 nm on a clear day and cloudy day in Texas on March 28 (clear) and 30(cloudy). While there is cloud cover the entire day on the 30th, the UVB irradiance is still significant. As is illustrated in the previous figure, thin clouds actually scatter a significant portion of the UVB toward the earth while thick clouds scatter most back to space. Thus, clouds are not necessarily good protection from sun-burn.
The above is an excerpt from
http://nadp.nrel.colostate.edu/UVB/publications/uvb_primer.pdf
and can be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader/viewer available free. (Good reference on UV and skin cancer)
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