IS SUNLIGHT harmful or health giving? It鈥檚 an issue that will get more pressing across Europe if we have more summers like 2003. Sadly, health authorities may not always give the public the right advice about sunshine. Relevant data can be sparse and too complex even for some specialists (快猫短视频, 9 August, p 3), so I asked Rona MacKie, the University of Glasgow鈥檚 distinguished professor of dermatology, for her views.
MacKie agreed the problems are complex. For example, white-skinned people suffer more non-melanoma skin cancer if they are exposed to excessive doses of ultraviolet from natural sunlight. And although excessive UV exposure increases the incidence of melanoma, the 鈥渢ypical鈥� non-melanoma skin cancer patient is an older outdoor worker, while the typical melanoma patient is 20 years younger. People who contract melanoma often have an indoor job with little exposure to the sun, except for the precious few weeks when they take their annual holidays to 鈥渨ork at their tan鈥�. There is also a genetic influence that may cause up to 50 per cent of melanoma susceptibility.
But not all UV is bad, MacKie pointed out. Cancer epidemiologists have suggested that moderate to high UV exposure may protect against lung, colon and prostate cancer. In addition, the incidence of various other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and some types of diabetes, are much higher in countries such as the UK, where exposure to UV is low, compared with countries such as Australia.
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The mechanism underlying these differences has not been established, but vitamin D is likely to be important, MacKie told me. We obtain precursor chemicals to vitamin D in our diet, and then need a little gentle sunlight to convert it to its active form. Vitamin D appears to reduce the multiplication rate of cancer cells, said MacKie.
Clearly there is plenty of research that deserves support here.
GIVEN the rain that has been falling on the UK after the long dry summer, I was pleased to see the story on the risks of driving in these conditions (快猫短视频, 13 September, p 9). The report reminded me of the fate of world-champion racing driver Mike Hawthorne. He met his death in 1959 after skidding on an ordinary wet road at less than 120 kilometres per hour. I showed the news report to David Jamieson, the junior road safety minister at the Department for Transport and asked if the highway authorities would be issuing a warning to drivers.
Jamieson gave me an admirably terse reply. The Highway Code warns drivers in the UK to be aware that in hot weather road surfaces can become soft, and that if it rains after a dry spell roads may become slippery, he said. This can affect their steering and braking. A knowledge of The Highway Code is a requirement of the driving test in the UK, Jamieson reminded me.
I thought it an excellent ministerial reply.
