Re: UV Tanning

["Donald A. McClure 7-3243 DX" <damcclure@Lanl.GOV>]

I've been properly corrected (i.e. chastised by private E-Mail) in my claim
as stated below.  Sorry, melanoma incidence does have an associated
dependence on latitude.  Fair skinned people who move from Scandinavia to
the tropics are at higher risk in the tropics.  If you happen to have a dark
skin component to your genetics, you have a lower risk than a fair skinned
person at the same latitude.

At 04:32 PM 2/29/96 -0600, you wrote:
> 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. 
>
>Are you sure about this?? I've seen stats indicating that 3% of English
>residents develop skin cancer during their life compared to 70% of
>Australian residents. Of these skin cancers, about 10% are melanomas. We in
>Australia are constantly bombarded with warnings about solar UV exposure. To
>quote one Australian medico;
>"The most effective way of avoiding melanoma is to wear clothes. We almost
>never see melanomas on peoples behinds!"
>
>Am I completely off track here??
>
>Regards 
> 
>  Alex Zapantis                                         
>  Radiation Safety Officer                                     
>  Queensland University of Technology        
>  Health & Safety Section                             
>  Locked Bag No.2                    Ph     : 61 7 3864 3566
>  Red Hill Qld 4059                    fax     : 61 7 3864 3993
>  AUSTRALIA                           Email  : a.zapantis@qut.edu.au    
>
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__________________________________________________________
 DAMcClure@lanl.gov    |        Donald A. McClure
 Voice: 505/667-3243   |  Los Alamos National Laboratory
 FAX: 505/665-3359     | Dynamic Experimentation Division
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