Diffey, Brian (University of Newcastle)

Sun Protection: A risk management approach - IOP Expanding Physics Diffey, Brian (University of Newcastle)

There is adequate evidence that exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major aetiological factor in human skin cancer, but managing the risk of skin cancer does not necessarily mean avoiding exposure to the Sun's UV rays. For example, a young man who walks in the hills on a summer's day is choosing not to minimize his risk of skin cancer, but rather to face it and embrace it as part of an attempt to maximize his enjoyment and quality of life. A pragmatic approach, therefore, is to adopt strategies that control the hazard - that is, exposure to the Sun's UV rays - commensurate with the need or desire to be outdoors. Sun Protection differentiates itself from other texts by adopting a risk-management approach to determine whether, how, and in what circumstances, harm might be caused, and to explore the feasibility of various strategies in controlling exposure to solar UV radiation. Additionally, this multi-disciplinary book covers topics from climatology through human exposure to sunlight, as well as biological and clinical effects of UV radiation to physical and chemical strategies for photoprotection.