Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6.7
Incidence of melanoma in Scotland, 1979-89
Source:
From Mackie
et al.
1992
totals there may reflect the impact of exposure
to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation on the
beaches of southern Europe, which have become
popular vacation spots for northerners. Since
there is a time lag between exposure and the
discovery of cancer, current increases may
represent the results of cell damage initiated 10-
20 years ago. It also follows that, despite
increasing attempts by health authorities to
reduce public exposure to the sun, the rising level
of skin cancers is likely to continue for some time
to come.
The situation is particularly serious in
Australia, where skin cancer is ten times more
prevalent than in northern Europe (Concar
1992). Average summer receipts of UV-B have
increased by 8 per cent since 1980 in southern
Australia, and in New Zealand, the amount of
ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface
is double that in Germany (Seckmeyer and
malignant and usually fatal (Dotto and Schiff
1978). The US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) forecasts that 39 million more people than
normal could contract skin cancer within the next
century, leading to more than 800,000 additional
deaths (Chase 1988).
Levels of skin cancer are currently rising
among the white-skinned peoples of the world,
but there is no direct evidence that the rise is
linked to thinning ozone. Rather, it may be caused
by lifestyle factors, such as the popularity of
seaside holidays in sunny locations and fashion
trends which encourage a 'healthy' tan. In
Scotland, between 1979 and 1989, there was an
82 per cent increase in the occurrence of
melanomas (Mackie
et al.
1992) (see Figure 6.7),
and similar values apply across most of northern
Europe, an area not renowned for abundant
sunshine and not particularly affected by thinning
ozone until relatively recently. Rising skin cancer
