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Danger of the Northern sun
Should Northerners be taking precautions against the sun? by Jennifer Pritchett
NNSL (July 28/97) - In an era of UV warnings, a thinning ozone layer and skin-cancer scares, the question is not an inconsequential one: Is the Northern sun as intense as the southern sun?
James Lennox of Pond Inlet says yes -- he doesn't see any reason why the sun should be any less intense in the high Arctic.
Yes, the temperature is lower than down south, but "It's right above head," he said.
Lennox said that he has proof because he sees aboriginals getting sunburn.
"I know that the locals that go out on the ice, well, you can tell they've been out in the sun," he said. "It's very intense."
He admits he doesn't wear sunscreen, but sees that there is a risk for skin damage from the sun, even as far north as Pond Inlet.
But experts say the risk of skin damage isn't as high in the North as in the South.
Dr. Ian Gilchrist, NWT's chief medical health officer, said that there is a concern about the sun's rays, but that it is minimal compared to southern areas.
This, however, doesn't mean that people shouldn't take precautions against the sun's harmful rays which can cause skin cancer. Gilchrist said that the daily UV rating is an indictor of the sun's risks.
"The UV rating or index is lower here in the North," he said.
UV ratings are product of recent concerns over the thinning stratospheric ozone -- a layer of a form of oxygen high in the sky that protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer.
Gilchrist said that there are three factors that make the sun less intense here in the North.
First, the ozone is thicker in the North than in southern areas. "The thinning is a concern, but no more in the North than in other areas," he said.
Second is that cooler temperature force people to wear more clothing, which also protects the skin from the sun's rays.
And third, the rate of skin cancer is relatively low in the NWT because aboriginals have darker skin pigment.
"Yes we have to worry about this, but less than our southern counterparts," he said.
Gilchrist also said that the North's longer days in summer mean that Northerners can actually be exposed to more sunlight. He doesn't, however, see this factor as increasing to the risk of skin cancer.
Scientists also point out that the low angle of the sun means solar radiation must pass through more of the atmosphere -- and therefore more of the ozone layer -- than it does in southern latitudes.
Despite the degrees of risk in different areas, the opinion of increasingly more doctors, however, is that efforts should be made to protect the skin from the sun. |