Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Exponentially Increasing Incidences Of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma In Europe Correlate With Low Personal Annual Uv Doses And Suggests 2 Major Risk Factors, Stephen Merrill, Samira Ashrafi, Madhan Subramanian, Dianne E. Godar

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

For several decades the incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) steadily increased in fair-skinned, indoor-working people around the world. Scientists think poor tanning ability resulting in sunburns initiate CMM, but they do not understand why the incidence continues to increase despite the increased use of sunscreens and formulations offering more protection. This paradox, along with lower incidences of CMM in outdoor workers, although they have significantly higher annual UV doses than indoor workers have, perplexes scientists. We found a temporal exponential increase in the CMM incidence indicating second-order reaction kinetics revealing the existence of 2 major risk factors. From epidemiology …