Need an incentive to reduce your carbon footprint? Consider the implications of this study of some 900 St. Louis residents that discovered an association between long periods of driving and an increased risk of skin cancer.
Based on a review of medical data on all patients diagnosed with non-midline skin cancer at St. Louis University in 2004, some 53 percent had skin cancer on the left sides of their bodies or faces. What's more, out of the 557 men whose records were reviewed for the study, 300 had skin cancer on their left sides. Interestingly, women under age 51 were predisposed to skin cancers on the left side too, a number, researchers say, that's emblematic of the way our society has changed over the past quarter-century to two-car families and equal-opportunity driving.
One more finding worth noting: Malignant melanoma in situ, also called stage 0 melanoma, was found 75 percent of the time on the left side of the body.
Hopefully, science and the FDA will agree on safer sunscreen formulations very soon. Perhaps, a soybean oil-based alternative is in the mix…
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Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology March 12, 2010
DenverPost.com May 17, 2010
LiveScience May 7, 2010