UV-A


Book Description

The origin of this text was a request by industry and government to summarize the biological effects and to estimate the limits of safe exposure to longwave ul traviolet radiation. The specific issue was the safety of a small medium-pressure mercury arc designed to emit UV-A (NUVA-Lite, L. D. Caulk Co. , Milford, Delaware) for photopolymerization of resinous fillings used in dentistry. How- ever, the context grew to become a consideration of the risks and benefits to hu mans of electromagnetic radiation between the biologically active short UV and the visible spectrum. We have accumulated data from our own experimental work and from the literature and have attempted to put this information in the perspective of known biologic effects of ultraviolet radiation as it influences hu mans. Interest in the biological effects of longwave ultraviolet radiation is increas ing in all of the many scientific disciplines that make up the complex field of photobiology. In order to minimize the chance for error and personal prejudice and to maximize the use of expertise, each chapter has been reviewed by several authorities. Some of the contributions of this group led to significant alterations and creative additions to the chapter, and these persons deserve not only our sin cere gratitude but also recognition by the reader. These include Chapters 2 and 3: Dr. Robert E. Levin, Mr. Charles P. Comeau, Mr. Donald Gonser, Dr. David Sliney; Chapter 5: Dr. Jerry Williams, Dr. Robert Webb, Dr. Madhu A.




Singlet Oxygen, UV-A and Ozone


Book Description

Recent advances in understanding the biological role of singlet oxygen in the pathways of cellular responses to ultraviolet-A radiation: its key position in photodynamical effects, and its generation by photochemical (dark) reactions, e.g. by cells of the immune system such as eosinophils and macrophages, are the focus of this volume. The new methods and techniques responsible for the rapid progress in this area are presented. The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with more than 300 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.




Exposure to Artificial UV Radiation and Skin Cancer


Book Description

This report represents the views and expert opinions of an IARC Working Group that met in Lyon, France, 27-29 June 2005




The Role of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation in Marine Ecosystems


Book Description

The inspiration for this monograph derived from the realization that human technical capacity has become so great that we can, even without malice, substantially modify and damage the gigantic and remote outer limit of our planet, the stratosphere. Above the atmosphere of our ordinary experience, the stratosphere is a tenuous layer of gas, blocked from rapid exchange with the troposphere, some twenty kilometers above the surface of the earth, seldom reached by humans, and yet a fragile shell which shields life on earth from a band of solar radiation of demonstrable injurious potential. It is immediately obvious that if stratospheric ozone were reduced and consequently the intensity of solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface were increased, then human skin cancer, known to be related to solar ultraviolet exposure, would also be increased. But how does one even begin to estimate the impact of changed solar ultraviolet radiation on such a diverse. interacting, and complex ecosystem as the oceans? Studies which I conducted in Iceland focused on this question and were noted to the Marine Sciences Panel of the Scientific Affairs Committee of NATO by Professor Unnsteinn Stefansson, leading to a request to investigate the possibility of organizing a NATO sponsored Advanced Research Institute on this topic.




The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer


Book Description

This document is a Call to Action to partners in prevention from various sectors across the nation to address skin cancer as a major public health problem. Many partners are essential to this effort, including federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial governments; members of the business, health care, and education sectors; community, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations; and individuals and families. The goal of this document is to increase awareness of skin cancer and to call for actions to reduce its risk.The first section describes the problem of skin cancer and its major risk factors. It also discusses the relationship between exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and health. The second section describes the current evidence on preventing skin cancer, including current initiatives in the United States and in other countries. The third section describes the gaps in research related to skin cancer prevention, highlighting areas of research where more work is needed. The fourth section identifies specific opportunities to prevent skin cancer by reducing UV exposure in the U.S. population and calls for nationwide action.







UV-B Radiation


Book Description

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) is electromagnetic radiation coming from the sun, with a medium wavelength which is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer. The biological effects of UV-B are greater than simple heating effects, and many practical applications of UV-B radiation derive from its interactions with organic molecules. It is considered particularly harmful to the environment and living things, but what have scientific studies actually shown? UV-B Radiation: From Environmental Stressor to Regulator of Plant Growth presents a comprehensive overview of the origins, current state, and future horizons of scientific research on ultraviolet-B radiation and its perception in plants. Chapters explore all facets of UV-B research, including the basics of how UV-B's shorter wavelength radiation from the sun reaches the Earth's surface, along with its impact on the environment's biotic components and on human biological systems. Chapters also address the dramatic shift in UV-B research in recent years, reflecting emerging technologies, showing how historic research which focused exclusively on the harmful environmental effects of UV-B radiation has now given way to studies on potential benefits to humans. Topics include: UV-B and its climatology UV-B and terrestrial ecosystems Plant responses to UV-B stress UB- B avoidance mechanisms UV-B and production of secondary metabolites Discovery of UVR8 Timely and important, UV-B Radiation: From Environmental Stressor to Regulator of Plant Growth is an invaluable resource for environmentalists, researchers and students who are into the state-of-the-art research being done on exposure to UV-B radiation.




UV Radiation in Global Climate Change


Book Description

Numerous studies report that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is harmful to living organisms and detrimental to human health. Growing concerns regarding the increased levels of UV-B radiation that reach the earth's surface have led to the development of ground- and space-based measurement programs. Further study is needed on the measurement, modeling, and effects of UV radiation. The chapters of this book describe the research conducted across the globe over the past three decades in the areas of: (1) current and predicted levels of UV radiation and its associated impact on ecosystems and human health, as well as economic and social implications; (2) new developments in UV instrumentation, advances in calibration (ground- and satellite-based), measurement methods, modeling efforts, and their applications; and (3) the effects of global climate change on UV radiation. Dr. Wei Gao is a Senior Research Scientist and the Director of the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University. Dr. Gao is a SPIE fellow and serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing. Dr. Daniel L. Schmoldt is the National Program Leader for instrumentation and sensors at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Schmoldt served as joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Computers & Electronics in Agriculture, from 1997 to 2004. Dr. James R. Slusser retired in 2007 from the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program at Colorado State University. He was active in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Slusser is currently pursuing his interests in solar energy and atmospheric transmission.




Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Handbook


Book Description

This reference covers technical information on ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and its application to air and surface disinfection and the control of pathogens and allergens. Its main focus is airborne microbes and surface contamination applications.




In the Light of Evolution


Book Description

The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.