Schrempf, Michael; Haluza, D.; Simic, S.; Riechelmann, S.; Graw, K. Et al.: Is multidirectional UV exposure responsible for increasing melanoma prevalence with altitude? A hypothesis based on calculations with a 3D-human exposure model. In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13 (2016), Nr. 10, 961. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13100961
Zusammenfassung: |
In a recent study, melanoma incidence rates for Austrian inhabitants living at higher altitudes were found to increase by as much as 30% per 100 m altitude. This strong increase cannot simply be explained by the known increase of erythemally-weighted irradiance with altitude, which ranges between 0.5% and 4% per 100 m. We assume that the discrepancy is partially explainable by upwelling UV radiation; e.g., reflected by snow-covered surfaces. Therefore, we present an approach where the human UV exposure is derived by integrating incident radiation over the 3D geometry of a human body, which enables us to take upwelling radiation into account. Calculating upwelling and downwelling radiance with a radiative transfer model for a snow-free valley and for snow-covered mountain terrain (with albedo of 0.6) yields an increase in UV exposure by 10% per 100 m altitude. The results imply that upwelling radiation plays a significant role in the increase of melanoma incidence with altitude.
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Lizenzbestimmungen: |
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Unported - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
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Publikationstyp: |
Article |
Publikationsstatus: |
publishedVersion |
Erstveröffentlichung: |
2016 |
Schlagwörter (englisch): |
Albedo, Alpine region, Altitude effects, Erythema, Human exposure, Malignant melanoma, Snow cover, UV radiation
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Fachliche Zuordnung (DDC): |
500 | Naturwissenschaften
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