Study finds no "safe" time for unprotected sun exposure
Baku, July 1, AZERTAC
An Australian study has found that even short periods of sun exposure during hours of low sunlight traditionally considered "safe" can cause skin damage and contribute to skin cancer risk, Xinhua reported.
The findings challenged long-held public health assumptions that time outdoors early or later in the day doesn't cause skin harm, according to a statement from Australia's QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute released on Wednesday.
"You can get the same dose of UV [Ultraviolet] radiation in a short time in the middle of the day or a longer time earlier or later in the day. Our research has shown it is the total dose that is important -- it doesn't matter how long it takes to get it," said QIMR Berghofer Professor Rachel Neale.
"People potentially get lulled into a sense of security when the intensity of sunlight is weak, and they spend too long outdoors without adequate protection. We have shown that it is a problem for skin damage," said Neale, co-lead of the study published in Photochemistry and Photobiology.
Biopsies revealed DNA damage and cellular stress responses regardless of whether the UV exposure occurred quickly or more slowly, according to the study.
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