Documents photosensitisation dermatitis 3 results

"Human exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation has important public health implications. Evidence of harm associated with overexposure to UV has been demonstrated in many studies. Skin cancer and malignant melanoma are among the most severe health effects, but a series of other health effects have been identified. The current report provides a quantification of the global disease burden associated with UV. The information presented forms a knowledge base for the prevention of adverse effects of UV exposure that is achievable with known and accessible interventions. UV prevention focuses on protecting the skin and other organs from UV radiation. On the other hand, a moderate degree of UV exposure is necessary for the production of Vitamin D which is essential for bone health. Additionally, evidence emerges that low Vitamin D levels are likely to be associated with other chronic diseases. Thus, public health policy on ultraviolet radiation needs to aim at preventing the disease burden associated both with excessive and with insufficient UV exposure."

"Evaluates carcinogenic risks associated with human exposure to solar radiation and to ultraviolet radiation from medical and cosmetic devices, general illumination, and industrial sources. The main objective of the evaluation was to determine whether enough evidence is available to decide which segments of the radiation spectrum are responsible for its adverse effects. To this end, particular attention is given to data that shed light on the distinctive carcinogenic activity of ultraviolet A, B, and C radiation. In evaluating carcinogenic potential, the report also considers the importance of human constitutional risk factors, such as skin type, hair and eye colour, and specific subtypes of exposure, such as occupational and recreational exposures. More than 1,000 studies were critically assessed. On the basis of a large body of evidence from human and experimental studies, the monograph concludes that solar radiation is carcino-genic to humans, causing cutaneous malignant melanoma and nonmelanocytic skin cancer. Evidence for the carcinogenicity of ultraviolet A, B, and C radiation was judged sufficient in experimental animals. All three segments of the radiation spectrum were classified as probably carcinogenic to humans. Use of sunlamps and sunbeds entails exposures that are probably carcinogenic to humans. The carcinogenicity of exposure to fluorescent lighting could not be determined. Studies of topical sunscreens are reviewed in an appendix, which concludes that, although effective in preventing sunburn, little is known about their protective value against harmful immuno-logical changes, photo-ageing, or skin cancer. "... conforms to the usual high standards of IARC monographs ... a valuable source of information about the neglected areas of radiation pathology and toxicology..." - Journal of Clinical Pathology"

"A state-of-the-art review of the many lines of evidence - whether at the molecular or the clinical level - linking exposure to ultraviolet (‎UV)‎ radiation to a range of adverse effects on human health. The report, which responds to concern over the depletion of stratospheric ozone and a corresponding increase in levels of UV radiation, makes a special effort to distinguish between established biological effects and those that have been reported as preliminary or isolated results, or as hypotheses proposed to explain observed results. By distinguishing areas of consensus from areas of continuing controversy, the book aims to establish a solid, scientific foundation for identifying precise health hazards, designing targeted programmes for prevention, and making realistic predictions for the future. Since UV radiation is an established human carcinogen, the report concentrates on the mechanisms by which UV radiation exerts its toxic effects and on the many environmental, constitutional, ethnic, behavioural, and other factors that influence individual risk. The opening chapters describe the physical characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum and discuss the properties of different sources of UV radiation, including the sun, incandescent sources, gas discharges, electric discharges, fluorescent lamps, lasers, and sunbeds. The second chapter discusses human exposures occurring in various occupations, in medicine and dentistry, and in sunbathing, outdoor recreation, and other elective behaviours. Dosimetric concepts are reviewed in the third chapter, which concentrates on principles important to the design and interpretation of studies. Studies of the cellular and molecular effects of UV radiation on biological systems are reviewed in the next chapter, which notes that DNA is the most critical target for damage caused by UVB and UVC radiation. A review of findings from animal studies of both acute and chronic exposures concentrates on evidence of skin carcinogenesis, altered immune responses, including modification of susceptibility to infectious diseases, and damage to the eye. Evidence also supports the conclusion that many different genes and several viruses, including HIV, are activated by UV radiation. The most extensive part of the book reviews the large body of evidence from human studies of effects on the skin, immune function, and the eye. Apart from evidence that sun exposure causes cutaneous melanoma and non-melano-cytic skin cancer, these chapters cite evidence that exposure to UV radiation can enhance the risk of infectious diseases, reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, accelerate the development of AIDS in seropositive individuals, and cause a number of acute and chronic adverse effects on the eye. The remaining chapters summarize some well-documented effects on plant and aquatic ecosytems caused by UV radiation, assess health hazards and preventive measures for each of the main categories of exposure, and set out recommended international guidelines for establishing exposure limits"