Skin, fabrics feel effects of light

Press, 27 March 1980, Page 6

Skin, fabrics feel effects of light

Whether New Zealand is a tot spot for ultra-violet (adiation is a question being Jiscussed at a scientific (eminar in Wellington. The seminar is examining some recent research anomalies which suggest this jountry may be exposed to huch higher concentrations |f ultra-violet radiation than previously thought, possibly tmong the highest levels in he world.’ One paper being presented tt the two-day seminar tuggested that material collars faded faster in Auckland than in the Australian lesert. , Mr J. N. McKean,, of Auckland, a dyestuff techfcician for a chemical company. Ciba-Geigy N.Z., Ltd, frhich is promoting the leminar with the Meteorological Service, told the leminar that dyes and pig-

ments in paints, inks, plastics, and textiles appeared to fade much more rapidly in New Zealand than in hotter places such as Australia, Texas, and South-East Asia. He said some unknown factor in New Zealand’s climate appeared to cause harsh weathering of all sorts of materials, and quoted the case of some rattan furniture that had survived four years of continuous outdoor exposure in Hong Kong in good condition, thanks to a coating protecting against the ultra-violet part of solar radiation.

The same furniture, coated the same way lasted only six months in Wellington’s climate, even though Hong Kong theoretically received 20 per cent more solar radiation annually than Wellington.

Dr Reid Basher, Met-

eorological Service co-or-dinator of the seminar, said he thought New Zealand’s clean skies might account for an increase of up to 20 per cent in radiation levels compared with European countries with more air pollution which helped absorb ultra-violet rays.

Another paper reported on the incidence of skin cancer in New Zealand, which is comparable with northern Australia, reinforcing the belief that New Zealand had among the highest death rates from skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer claimed 140 lives a year in New Zealand. Death rates for cancer published in 1974 placed New Zealand as having the highest incidence of skin-cancer in women, and placed it second to Australia for men, out of 51 countries.