Health benefits of solar UV-B radiation: cancer risk reduction

William B. Grant

doi:10.1117/12.452935

17 January 2002 Health benefits of solar UV-B radiation: cancer risk reduction

William B. Grant

Proceedings Volume 4482, Ultraviolet Ground- and Space-based Measurements, Models, and Effects; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.452935
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Based on geographical distributions of various cancers in the U.S. and elsewhere, ecologic studies comparing these distributions to indices of solar radiation during the past 20 years have led to the understanding that solar UVB radiation is a risk reduction factor for breast, colon, ovarian, prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Photo-initiated production of vitamin D is the mechanism that enables solar UVB to play this role. The work presented here explores the use of the USDA UVB Radiation Monitoring Program ground station values to confirm and extend the prior results, and compares these results to those obtained using UVB data from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). Inverse correlations between solar UVB radiation have been found for a total of 14 cancers using mortality data from the U.S. with these data sets, and are supported by additional studies using cancer mortality and dietary supply data from Europe. While vitamin D has been shown to be a risk reduction factor for several of these cancers, it is hoped that additional studies will be conducted to confirm or disprove the protective role of UVB and/or vitamin D for the remaining cancers.

Citation Download Citation

William B. Grant "Health benefits of solar UV-B radiation: cancer risk reduction", Proc. SPIE 4482, Ultraviolet Ground- and Space-based Measurements, Models, and Effects, (17 January 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.452935

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