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Introduction to Cancer, Conventional Therapies, and Bionano-Based Advanced Anticancer Strategies
Published in D. Sakthi Kumar, Aswathy Ravindran Girija, Bionanotechnology in Cancer, 2023
Another avoidable external contributor that increases the cancer incidence includes excessive exposure to solar radiations and artificial ultraviolet (UV) radiations. Each year, more than one million skin cancer cases are diagnosed, and the incidence continues to rise [56]. The primary cause of skin cancer that is melanomatous and non-melanomatous is solar radiation. UV radiation induces genetic mutations and affects the cutaneous immune system, thus limiting the ability of the body to reject abnormal cells. The risk of basal cell and squamous cell cancer seems to be correlated with total lifetime exposure to the sun. Studies have shown that cumulative exposure to the UV radiations from the sun may increase the risk of melanoma, but it is even more dangerous to have repeated intense exposures that lead to blistering burns, particularly at a young age [57]. In addition, UV radiation from tanning booths has been classified as a carcinogen to humans, with a 75% increase in the risk of melanoma in people who used tanning beds before the age of 35 [58].
Solar Energy
Published in Anco S. Blazev, Solar Technologies for the 21st Century, 2021
This part of the spectrum accounts for less than 10% of the energy from the sun that reaches the Earth’s surface. Most ultraviolet energy is filtered out by our atmosphere. Ultraviolet energy is divided into three parts: Ultraviolet C or (UVC) spans the range of 100 to 280 nm. The term ultraviolet refers to the fact that the radiation is at a higher frequency than violet light (and hence invisible to the human eye). Due to absorption by the atmosphere, very little UVC reaches the Earth’s surface. This spectrum of radiation has germicidal properties and its property of killing bacteria and viruses is used in germicidal lamps.Ultraviolet B or (UVB) range spans 280 to 315 nm. This part of the spectrum is of interest to us because these are the rays that cause our skin to tan and burn, and our bodies to produce vitamin D. It is also absorbed by the atmosphere; along with UVC it is responsible for the photochemical reactions leading to the production of the ozone layer.Ultraviolet A or (UVA) range spans 315 to 400 nm. This part of the spectrum also has rays that cause our skin to tan, and hence is used in tanning beds and UVA therapy for psoriasis.
Children’s Environmental Health Issues
Published in Herman Koren, Best Practices for Environmental Health, 2017
Artificial sun tanning, even as few as 10 times per year, can increase the chance of melanoma during a lifetime by sevenfold. Approximately 60,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year and at least 8000 of them die. Squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are also associated with tanning beds. Each year, 250,000 people are diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and at least 800,000 people are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma yearly. The problem of tanning beds is especially significant in teenage girls.
Adolescents’ appearance-related behaviour and product use: the impact of sociocultural attitude towards appearance, gender, and body mass index on consumption
Published in International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 2018
Jeong-Ju Yoo, Jennifer Yurchisin
In addition, SATA plays a significant role in adolescents’ appearance-product use and appearance management behaviour. For example, adolescents may be particularly susceptible to the influence of media portrayals of the ideal appearance. Perhaps the attention the media has been drawing to the obesity epidemic among children in the United States is having an impact on the behaviours of both boys and girls (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002). Weight, as assessed using the BMI scale, did play a role in appearance-related behaviour and product use. Hence, the results of this study did support the work of previous researchers (McCabe & Ricciardelli, 2005). As BMI increases, adolescent boys and girls engage in more appearance-related behaviours and use more appearance-related products. This behaviour suggests a possible attempt by overweight adolescents to change their appearance to meet social standards. Future researchers could study adolescents’ perceptions of the effects of appearance-related product use and behaviour on their bodies. Adolescents experience a greater degree of impatience (van den Bos, Rodriguez, Schweitzer, & McClure, 2015). Therefore, they may be tempted to engage in behaviours and use products that they perceive to have an immediate, dramatic influence on their appearance (e.g. ingesting laxatives to lose weight, using indoor tanning beds to alter skin colour), regardless of the long-term health consequences. Researchers suspect that a recent increase in the incidence of skin cancer, particularly among young women, is a result of adolescents’ use of indoor tanning beds (Mayo Clinic, 2012), prompting the FDA to consider banning those under 18 from indoor tanning facilities (Clarke, 2015). Therefore, all adolescents, regardless of weight, need information about both healthy and unhealthy appearance-related behaviours in order to make appropriate decisions about their behaviour with respect to their bodies.