Why does the sun cause skin cancer more often today than in past times?

Answer 1

I think this seems to be the case for several reasons. Probably the most important is the people live longer now than in the past. Cancers don't just happen immediately, but take a while to develop to the point that they are visible or serious. Second, since the 1950s or so, people have exposed themselves to the sun a lot more than in the past. Before that time, most people wore long sleeved shirts and long dresses, and didn't spend time just lying around getting tan. Even people who worked in the sun wore hats and more clothing in the past than they tend to now.

Answer 2

There are multiple issues involved.

One is is just that people are living longer, so the cancer has a longer window of opportunity to grow.

Two is that when people died of skin cancer more than 100 years ago, it was often just labeled as "old age".

Three is the progressive destruction of the protective ozone layer.

Four is that doctors are spending more time looking for it.

Answer 3

Sun's rays contain UV rays which are a known carcinogenic, (any factor which leads to the development of cancer)
The ozone layer in the atmosphere filters them out so that the UV rays cannot reach us, but as you know the increasing industralization has lead to depletion of this ozone layer, so that humans are more exposed to these UV rays leading to skin cancer.

Another reason could be public beaches and swimming, in the past there was no such thing, now its routine, so maybe that way people are exposing themselves to the Sun more than they should.

Answer 4

The Theory is that because of CFC being released in the atmosphere there are holes in the ozone layer which is also thinner. The ozone layer in the atmosphere blocks the UV rays from the sun. UV rays have very high energy because its frequency is very high. When UV rays hit the DNA in living cells a mutation can happen. (high energy photons can dislocate nucleotides from DNA Molecules ) Certain mutations can lead to cancer cells

Answer 5

Because the ozone layer of our plannet is thinner by the day (due to pollution), more ultraviolet radiation penetrates the atmosphere and reaches the surface. It has been observed that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation causes mutations. Our epidermal cells just cannot take the amount of radiaton that we recieve from the sun and therefore mutate. In may cases these mutations cause cancer.

Answer 6

it is the whole in the ozone layer. My dermatologist says he has never seen so much skin cancer in young people. Says it is typical that by the time you reach your 50's or 60's that you would get it, but says he treats people in their 20's and 30's for it all the time!

Answer 7

In past times the ozone layer was able to block the harmful radiations coming to the earth,but today as the ozone layer is perforated the harmful radiations are able to reach us so we see these harmful effect on the skin.

Answer 8

Because of clothing changes and lifestyle changes. People have time to just sit in the sun now, whereas in past times there was just too much work to be done to allow for mindlessly cooking your body.

Same theory can apply to obesity.

Answer 9

Because we have slowly destroyed the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects us from harmful rays,so when we methodically remove the protective layer, we expose ourselves to potentially harmful rays, making ourselves vulnerable to certain skin cancers and the like.

Answer 10

The sun is more intense because of fossil fuels breaking down the ozone layer of the atmosphere.