On Sun, 30 Mar 2003 Patricia Gima wrote:

Is this true of sunlight before 9-10am or after 4pm?
Are there high rates of melanoma in the adult Australian population?

Pat,
   Yes, there are high rates of *all* forms of skin cancers in Australia with, I believe, Queensland having the highest incidence - ffactors include climate, fair skins (1/3 of the Aust population has predominently Celtic ancestry), outdoor lifestyle, and it has been unfashionable to wear hats for a couple of generations.
Consequently, it is wise to avoid sun exposure in the heat of the day when the sun is high - i.e. from 10 or 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  My mother used to take us to the nearby beach every day, but not till 4 p.m., and then only with wide-brimmed, shady hats.  Unfortunately, hats went out of style later.  Concurrently, people stopped wearing long sleeves and long trousers from the 1960s, whether for work or recreation, and are now seeing the result as basal cell skin ca, squamous cell skin ca, and some melanomas.  Giving babies, with their delicate skins, a "sun bath" (as was advised in the past) is definitely a no-no here.  Normal activities, going from house to car, car to shopping centre, etc., a walk in the park, should suffice.
    I'm going nomail later today.  So any responses to me privately.
    Virginia
    in Brisbane

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