Re: UV Tanning

[mcnaught@Lanl.GOV (Mike McNaughton)]

The original question was:
>>Anyone out there familiar with studies on UV-A risks that could provide me
>>some data?

One reply included the following:
>As I
>understand it, melanoma is not as directly related to UV exposure.  The
>incidence of melanoma, the vicious skin cancer, is relatively constant over
>the surface of the earth, not just the tropics.

My comment is:
This contradicts what I have been told and have read. I have survived a
case of melanoma, and so I have talked and read widely on the subject.
My understanding is:
1. there is no proven treatment for melanoma, except surgery, which is
usually successful if the melanoma is caught very early, usually fatal
otherwise.
2. People of North European and Celtic ancestory are more susceptible to
melanoma.
3. People who have experienced severe sunburn are more likely to get
melanoma.  The incidence of melanoma is significantly above average in
Australia and in Los Alamos because of the population of North Europeans
living in regions of intense sunlight.  The high altitude in Los Alamos
(where I live at present, at 7500 ft) contributes to a larger fraction of
UV in sunlight.

Stay safe, mike (mcnaught@lanl.gov)