Managing sun exposure

With Australia having the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, USQ research into how to manage sun exposure is working towards educating people in preventing this disease.

USQ alumnus and current PhD student Nathan Downs is measuring the levels of UV radiation in the school playground to assist schools in protecting students from harmful exposure. "I've been looking at what level of exposure children are getting in different parts of the playground in different seasons and weather conditions," Mr Downs said.

Using mannequins, anatomical models of the body, and a digital map of the grounds, he measured levels of ultraviolet exposure in various areas of Hervey Bay State High School. "I've built three-dimensional digital models of an arm, hand, leg, neck and face. With the models I can make predictions of the exposure levels anywhere in the school."

The research will eventually be compiled to make a system which can identify the areas in the school to avoid depending on the day, time and weather conditions. The mapping technique can be applied to any school throughout the country once a digital map based on photos of the grounds has been developed.

"I am hoping to provide schools with a model to use every day to make predictions of where the hotspots will be on that particular day," Mr Downs said. "Schools will then be able to print out a form and read it out on daily notices advising students of the locations to be avoided. It could also be used by teachers to plan school breaks and sports days."

Although too much sun exposure has harmful effects, some exposure is needed to obtain requirements of Vitamin D. Research into obtaining an optimum level of sun exposure conducted by Centre for Rural and Remote Area Health Research Fellow, Dr David Turnbull, suggests people can get their daily vitamin D requirement from sitting in the shade.

"Current guidelines suggest you need to expose yourself to a bit of UV before 10am or after 3pm. However, my research suggests that the best time to expose yourself is in the middle of the day, if you sit in the shade." Dr Turnbull said people are able to still absorb UV radiation in the shade due to atmospheric scattering. "In the middle of the day you get more radiation for vitamin D because the sun is directly overhead and has fewer atmospheres to pass through. In the early morning and late afternoon there are more atmospheres to pass through."

Through his research Dr Turnbull aims to improve recommendations about sun exposure.