Abstract
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.
Highlights
Cumulative life-time exposure to natural and artificial UV radiation is associated with chronic skin damage, including skin cancer
Haluza et al [10] analyzed Austrian melanoma incidence data (1990–2010) by district and year, and found that melanoma incidence rates increase with altitude by as much as 30% per 100 m of the main capital of the respective district in which people are living, with about 50% higher rates in urban compared to rural districts
Two hypothetical locations on 31 March 2016 with a latitude of 47◦ N are considered, one located in a snow-free valley at 600 m and one with varying albedo located on a mountain at 2200 m altitude
Summary
Cumulative life-time exposure to natural and artificial UV radiation is associated with chronic skin damage, including skin cancer. Many epidemiological studies prove the fundamental role of UV radiation in the genesis of skin cancer [1,2,3,4,5], of which the most hazardous form is malignant melanoma. Appearing in 1300 cases in 2009 in Austria, it accounted for 3.5% of all malignant tumors [6]. In studies of the increase of melanoma incidence In France) the authors investigated local cancer registries and state that altitude may have an impact on melanoma incidence. A few recent studies focused on skin health and environmental factors in Austria. Haluza et al [10] published a
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