Ozone depletion is a term used to describe two related phenomena concerning the earth’s ozone layer. The first is the slow and constant deterioration of the amount of ozone in the earth’s upper atmosphere at a rate of about 3 percent per decade. The second is the larger but seasonal decrease in the level of ozone in the atmosphere especially in the earth’s Polar Regions, commonly called an ozone hole.

As we all know, the layer of ozone gas present in our atmosphere plays a very critical role in all chemical and biological process in our planet. Ozone filters out most of the very harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun and prevents radiation from reaching the earth’s surface. Although, the levels of ozone in the atmosphere naturally rise and fall depending on factors such as altitude, temperature, and weather, the large amount of ozone lost in recent years cannot be attributed to natural factors alone.

Human-made chemicals and gases have a significant role in the phenomena of ozone depletion. Aerosols and Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which are primarily used as propellant and as refrigerant, were found to be responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer. The depletion of the ozone layer poses a huge risk to all chemical and biological process on the earth’s surface. Exposure to radiation, which would otherwise have been blocked by a “healthier” ozone layer, have various damaging effects on all living organisms on earth.

Because of this, there has been a continuing worldwide concern regarding the preservation of the ozone layer and the phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODS). Countries and international communities have initiated actions towards the reduction of ODS and finding ways to curb the further depletion of the earth’s vital ozone layer. A significant milestone in this effort was the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer held in 1987 which encouraged the phase-out and reduction of ozone depleting substances over a time frame of several years.

i-Ozone.com Ozone provides detailed information on Ozone, Ozone Layer, Ozone Generator, Ozone Depletion and more. Ozone is affiliated with e-Melanoma.com Melanoma Cancer.

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Tags: melanoma

A melanoma is a cancerous tumor that starts in melanin-generating cells (color-giving pigment). Once thought of as a rare disease, the yearly frequency of melanoma has increased noticeably.

Extreme exposure to sun is one major reason for contracting this disease. People who regularly expose themselves to the sun during peak mid-day hours, without adequate protection, are at a greater risk of getting melanoma. Exposure to the sun at a younger age puts you at risk throughout your lifetime.

Melanoma normally occurs on parts of the body receiving irregular sun exposure. This condition generally affects fair-skinned people. Not surprisingly, people from regions having sunny climates have greater chances of being affected by this disease.

However, sun exposure is not the sole way of developing this form of skin cancer; it can be genetic as well. Some people have a specific type of skin that engenders moles susceptible to the disease. Also, melanomas can occur on the areas of the body that get little or no sun exposure.

Dysplastic nevus syndrome, commonly called atypical mole syndrome, rarely affects the Caucasian population. There are two known forms of atypical mole syndrome. One is a hereditary atypical mole; the other is called melanoma syndrome. In the first case, members of a family will spot vast numbers of moles on their bodies. In the second instance, someone may just happen to have a lot of moles over his body, without it being a familial trait.

Generally, people do not get moles after the age of thirty; also, it is common for moles to fade away with age. When children about the age of five have moles on the hip, buttock or scalp, it should be seen as a warning indication. It is highly uncommon for a child to get skin cancer, yet some children have been fatally affected by it. Young people can be seriously affected by this form of cancer if not diagnosed and treated early.

e-Melanoma.com Melanoma provides detailed information on Melanoma, Malignant Melanoma, Melanoma Cancer, Nodular Melanoma and more. Melanoma is affiliated with i-Ozone.com Ozone Generator.

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Tags: melanoma, skin cancer

Melanoma. The word does not sound like a skin cancer, but yet is the most common among blue eyed blonde individuals. This cancer can leave people looking like they have been attacked. Some have areas of skin gone and they look textured, this all from a skin graft.

Many of us tan in the sun and tan in the tanning salons, we should take into consideration the damage it can do to the body. With the ozone layer thinner in areas it is wise for us to think of protecting our skin. Melanoma being the worse of skin cancers can lead to death. While we bake in the sun, we expose moles to the poison of the suns rays and it can strike cancer into an unlikely mole.

Moles that are variegated in color or black and unsymmetrical should be checked frequently for change by a dermatologist. If there are areas of your back that you cannot see, then go and get it checked by a roommate or a friend. Checking your moles and skins texture frequently can cut down your chances of a severe cancer appearing.

While in the sun, take precaution. There are many sunscreens out there to choose from. Apply to all parts that are exposed to sun. Take precaution on moles. If you have a mole that has been diagnosed with cancer, or has not been removed yet, then cover with a band aid.

The sun is not a friendly sole. It can burn you and give you cancer. Not going out is an answer too. However in this day and age, we have sports, place we go, our lives are filled with being busy. Take precaution and know that you will be safe!

Author is Michele Rogers, owner of lilyputts.com lilyputts.com Lilyputts Gift Baskets , an online gift basket retailer. Also hosted is a lilyputts.blogspot.com lilyputts.blogspot.com BLOG that reviews gifts and welcomes other comments as well. Please visit Lilyputts Gift Baskets for descriptions and product presentations. Please, if you use any portion herein be sure to email author first.

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Tags: melanoma, skin cancer

American history buffs know the sad but true story of William Henry Harrison’s short tenure as President. Mr. Harrison chose not to wear a hat to his inauguration; he caught pneumonia and died within the month. Twenty or so years ago – sometime during the Reagan administration – I created a hangtag for our stores that read “Hats Are Healthy”. By it, I meant not against the cold but rather against the harmful effects of the sun. I quoted two agencies (see the tag at the Great Hats For the Great Outdoors page at our site). I was ambivalent about these tags because on the one hand, I wanted to call people’s attention to the need to put on sunscreen and wear hats (and other protective clothing), but on the other, I felt guilty profiting from fear. Furthermore, our hat business had been successful because our stores were fun and although the “hats are healthy” message was valid, I didn’t want to overemphasize it. (An atmosphere of a serious clinic was an unproven model for a successful hat shop.) In any case, I figured that in short order most people would get the message anyway and be wearing hats, along with sunscreen, and therefore, calling attention to headwear as protective clothing would soon be as unnecessary as calling attention to the merits of sunscreen.

Two decades have passed since that hangtag. I go out and about in life as we know it and the fact of the matter is that most people are still not getting the message – not wearing hats. And I live in San Diego – where there’s lots of sun. So here’s the current data: The National Cancer Institute estimates that in 2007 there will be more than 1,000,000 new cases of skin (non-melanoma) cancer in the United States and less than 2,000 deaths. NCI also estimates 59,940 new cases of melanoma (a form of skin cancer that begins in melanocytyes – the cells that make the pigment melanin) in 2007. Of those, NCI estimates 8,110 deaths. When asked about the effectiveness of sunscreens in preventing cancer, Dr. Kenneth Kraemer, a dermatologist researching skin cancer for NCI’s Center for Cancer Research replied, “Sun protection is more than sunscreens. Sun protection includes avoiding the sun, using clothing to protect yourself, getting shade under a tree if you are going outside, and wearing hats”.

As we enter spring 2007, I’ve decided it may be important to amplify the alarm.

Fred Belinsky
VillageHatShop.com VillageHatShop.com

Fred Belinsky is the founder and president of The Village Hat Shop. The 4-store California chain is 27 years old. VillageHatShop.com, launched in early 1997, was the first online hat seller. Belinsky also owns and operates Berets.com. Private label brands include Jaxon Hats, JaxonHats.com, and sur la tete. More of Belinsky’s articles can be seen at his HAT BLOG, blog.villagehatshop.com/ blog.villagehatshop.com/

VillageHatShop.com also publishes THE COWBOY HAT, vilhat.typepad.com/the_cowboy_hat/ vilhat.typepad.com/the_cowboy_hat/, an ezine featuring short fiction, essays, and poetry about the American West and the Mexican-American Border.

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Tags: melanoma, skin cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, over-exposure to the ultraviolet rays featured in cosmetic tanning appliances increases the risk of developing skin cancer from tanning booths.

Tanning booths, like the more popularly purchased tanning bed, is a device that emits ultraviolet rays in the hopes of achieving a cosmetic tan. The process typically takes between ten and fifteen minutes. Sporting a hefty price tag than the more economically priced tanning bed, tanning booths are designed for use standing up as opposed to lying down. Consumers overwhelmingly prefer tanning booths in comparison to tanning beds, typically for sanitation reasons. Different from a subbed, as tanning beds are sometimes called, tanning booths signature requirement for standing limits the amount of contact with the unit.

Many professional tanning salons elect the use of tanning booths when faced with the choice between booths and residential tanning beds-although no statistics are available on the fact. Tanning booths require a limited amount of space as a result of their structure. Many booths for tanning sport additional facilities designated for changing clothes-an amenity used to justify the higher cost of tanning booths.

The risk of developing skin cancer from tanning booths is just one of several health risk medically linked to cosmetic tanning devices, which is also connected to DNA alteration. Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common form of the disease in the United States. Approximately one million people are diagnosed with the disease annually. Forty to fifty percent of Americans over sixty-five will battle skin cancer at least once. Women are more likely to develop skin cancer on their legs. Men are most likely to develop the disease on the back.

The medical community points to the fashion tanning process implemented by tanning booths as the health culprit. Tanning booths use various types of lamps in the tanning process, one hundred sixty watt very high output lamps are used, as well as standard one hundred watt high output lamps. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet lamps, like the ones used in tanning booths, can cause skin cancer by altering the structure of the DNA. In 2000, the American government’s National Institutes of Health released the tenth edition of it’s Report of Carcinogens. The agency listed solar radiation, artificial sources of ultraviolet rays, sun lamps, and tanning beds amongst it’s list of cancer-causing agents.

The National Cancer Institute insist that consistent exposure to artificial tanning trumps up the negative effects of the sunlight by causing the skin to thin-becoming less able to heal. The Institute cites people with fair skin and light, red, or blonde hair as the most susceptible to tanning-bed-solutions.com/article-13-skin-cancer-from-tanning-booths.html developing skin cancer from tanning booths and other artificial tanning devices that implement the use of ultraviolet rays.

Cosmetic tanning with use of ultraviolet devices has also been deemed dangerous for skin cancer survivors, people with a family history of skin cancer and people who burn easily.

For more information on the risks of

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Tags: melanoma, skin cancer