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but WHY does it have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world?
i mean...countries near the equator get more intense sunlight...
at least that is what i thought..
Well there's many theories put forth as to why.
Many of us are descendent from fair skinned folk that didn't see nearly as much sunlight, so genetically many of us aren't "designed" to cope with intense sunlight. Skin cancer is more prevelent in fair skinned people than dark skinned people.
Culturally the idea of the bronzed Aussie has been cultivated over a lot of years and people simply were not sun smart for many years. So it's not unusual to hear of folks that would slather themselves in baby oil and go fry in the sun. Or work all day in the sun without any protection.
Plus it's only been a few years since kids started wearing hats, and sunblock outdoors. (Unheard of when I was a kid.) So it'll be a few years before that prevention shows up in the statistics I think.
Yes, light skin/hair/eyes in Oz doesn't help. It increases your chances of developing squamous and basal cell carcinoma as well as melanoma. But that doesn't let us olive-skinned types off either. Probably only very slightly less chance than blonde/blue-eyed/freckly types. Not worth the gamble.
That, and the cumulative and excessive exposure to sun - we live in a very sunny country, it's hard to avoid. It's hot, you go to the beach. Sun reflecting off the water and pale sand increases the intensity. Just walking the dog, hanging the washing on the line, mowing the lawn, etc. ...lots of sun exposure here. One bad burn when you're young is bad news. At primary school they don't let kids out in the sun without a wide-brimmed hat.
Best to avoid the sun in the middle of the day, like moonshadow says, and wear protective clothing. Rashie vests are great, imo. No more burned backs and shoulders. The fabric is light, dries quick. Keeps you warm at the end of the day when the seabreeze picks up. Pop-up tents are handy too - great to give you respite from the sun while you're at the beach. Unfortunately we don't have too many shady trees on our beaches.
We're very sun-aware here but not all of us are sun-smart.
I heard the ozone hole over Australia and New Zealand..
only hits certain cities in Australia and NZ..?
like parts of Melbourne, Sydney etc,
and NOT other parts of the country...
TRUE?
The Ozone hole is mainly sits over Antartica. But yes, The hole can get large enough to include parts of New Zealand and southern Australia. Though Even if it dosen't reach up that far? We're still the first to feel it's affects..Just because of being so close to it! Seasonal UV levels have been raised right across both countries.
Also Our position on the world. Means that unlike the Europe/North America. Australia is closer to the equator and so experiences stronger sunlight during summer. This also means that the UV level spikes during summer and thats when mnay people experience cancers.
Last edited by Kangaroofarmer; 04-28-2009 at 09:49 PM..
You seem rather concerned about this "Hole" in the Ozone Layer. Frankly I think it was a load of hysteria, like the Ice Age that was predicted back in about 1975. Then there was Y2K. And how many metres of water are we supposed to be drowning under by now? Oh, and also, we're all going to die in a world-wide pandemic, apparently, of swine flu. Just like back in 1976 (when more people died from the rushed-out vaccine, than the actual disease). But never mind me, I tend to be quite cynical. Especially about doom-and-gloom, the-sky-is-falling, apocalyptic, Old-Testament-like predictions. Of which there seem to be far too many in the past while.
From what I've heard, the hole was actually a thinning. You can find maps of it online. It seems to be mostly, if not all, over the Antarctic itself, and a bit over the southern tip of South America. Apparently, the reduction of CFCs has helped. But then other theories is that it reduces with the increase in sea-ice in the Antarctic. Which some will adamantly disagree with as it collides with their own doom-and-gloom scenarios. Science has been politicised and there's way too much money to be made by some. Such a shame, since I've always admired and respected scientists.
The only thing you have to remember is: Slip, Slop, Slap. Slip on a Shirt, Slop on Sunscreen (and we mean SLOP!), and Slap on a Hat.
You buy sunscreen here in litre bottles with pumps. And you put it on so that you still see the white, don't blend it in. Wide-brimmed hat, not baseball caps that expose your ears. Long-sleeved shirts, or rashie vests at the beach. That'll help, regardless of any ozone hole or thinning or whatever.
Last edited by Vichel; 04-29-2009 at 03:47 AM..
Reason: forgot something
I've just learnt in chemistry at university that the ozone hole is caused by the buildup of CFC's in the atmosphere, over the antarctic. Like said above, it's quite small and doesn't affect Australia or NZ. Part of the reason it's there is because the long cold winter causes ice to build up with contaminants, and when the sun eventually starts to shine, these act as a catalyst to increase the destruction of ozone. There is a swirling wind surrounding antarctica in winter, this traps the CFC's. Destruction of the ozone by cfc's has stopped increasing, but it'll take about 100 years for all CFC's to be removed from the atmosphere.
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Ozone Hole Only Over Certain Cities?
