Is Multidirectional UV Exposure Responsible for Increasing Melanoma Prevalence with Altitude? A Hypothesis Based on Calculations with a 3D-Human Exposure Model

Michael Schrempf, Daniela Haluza, Stana Simic, Stefan Riechelmann, Kathrin Graw and Gunther Seckmeyer
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Michael Schrempf: Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover 30419, Germany
Daniela Haluza: Institute of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
Stana Simic: Institute of Meteorology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna 1190, Austria
Stefan Riechelmann: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig 38116, Germany
Kathrin Graw: Deutscher Wetterdienst, Offenbach 63067, Germany
Gunther Seckmeyer: Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover 30419, Germany

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-9

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.

Keywords: UV radiation; human exposure; erythema; malignant melanoma; altitude effects; albedo; snow cover; alpine region (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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