News News Dermatologists Warn Nation of Increased Skin Cancer Risk

Unique Move The statement is a unique move for the academy. It includes a call for a national action plan to deal with the issues, as well as a warning that continued ozone depletion will result in an even greater rise in skin cancer incidence in the future. It states that the academy supports an accelerated ban on the worldwide use of ozone-depleting chemicals. "Every time ozone depletion is detected over Antarctica, there's a significant increase in ultraviolet radiation on the ground in Australia and New Zealand," said Robert Watson, Ph.D., of 1696

the Earth Sciences Division of the National Air and Space Administration and one of the speakers at the Washington meeting.

Ozone Depletion However, similar increases in ultraviolet radiation have not been detected in the northern hemisphere, Watson said. He ascribes this to the relatively wanner climate that prevails over the northern polar region, preventing ozone from being depleted as readily. Failure to detect increases in ultraviolet radiation does not mean that they are not present, he added, because the ultraviolet monitoring systems in the United States are not very precise. In 1986, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that for every 1% depletion in ozone there would be a 2% to 5% increase in squamous cell carcinoma and a 1% to 3% increase in basal cell carcinoma. A Norwegian study has calculated that, if the ozone layer were to be depleted by 10%, there would be a 16% to 18% increase in basal cell carcinoma, a 19% increase in melanoma in men and a 32% increase in women. Ozone completely blocks radiation from ultraviolet C wavelength, below 290 nm. It blocks some ultraviolet B, with a wavelength extending from 290 nm to 320 nm, and provides some protection from ultraviolet A, which extends from 320 nm to 400 nm.

Ready Measures UVB radiation causes acute sunburn, chronic skin damage, and ultimately skin cancer. But the longer-wave UVA radia-

—Robert Scott

Awards, Appointments, Announcements

Downloaded from http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manchester on June 2, 2015

Alarmed about the marked increase in melanoma — the incidence of which is now rising faster than any other cancer— and mounting evidence of the harmful effects of pollutants on the skin, the American Academy of Dermatology issued an alert last month to both the public and physicians to take steps to reduce sun exposure. Skin cancers, including basal and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma, are the most common cancers in the United States; more than 600,000 new cases will be reported this year. The National Cancer Institute, in its annual statistical review, notes that in the years 1973-1989, melanoma incidence increased by nearly 85%. In 1958, there were just under 2,000 deaths from melanoma; in 1990,6,500 deaths were reported due to this disease. The academy's statement was drafted during a 2-day national conference in Washington, D.C., and forwarded to its board for final approval, expected in December.

tion can enhance the effects of UVB radiation, and in large doses can also be carcinogenic, said John H. Epstein, M.D., of the University of California. Epstein stressed that the most important issue is to convince the public to protect itself with the measures that are already available. Among these, he said, is to avoid sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest, to wear protective clothing of tightly woven materials, and to use sunscreen lotions with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher. The academy's statement also carried a warning about ultraviolet exposure in tanning parlors. Ideally, these salons should be closed, it said, or at least more tightly regulated. Because almost 80% of risky sun exposure occurs prior to age 20, the academy recommended that parlor use by minors be prohibited.

The Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, presented its Stanley P. Reimann Honor Award last month to former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. Koop was cited for increasing public awareness of several crucial health care issues, including the risks associated with smoking. He also was an early advocate of more funding for AIDS research, and is a long-time advocate for children's health. The award honors Stanley P. Reimann, who founded the Fox Chase Center's Institute for Cancer Research in 1927. Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Dermatologists warn nation of increased skin cancer risk.

News News Dermatologists Warn Nation of Increased Skin Cancer Risk Unique Move The statement is a unique move for the academy. It includes a call for...
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