Advice: Could mobile devices raise skin cancer risk ?

Devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops can reflect ultraviolet light from the sun and may indirectly
increase users' exposure to the cancer-causing wavelengths, according to a new study."These devices are
generally used for communication or entertainment, so it can be easy to overlook their reflective properties
unless you happen to catch the glare off a screen," said Mary E. Logue of the University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque, who coauthored the research with Dr Barrett J. Zlotoff.
They wondered whether, like those old-fashioned tanning reflectors, personal electronics could also pose
skin health risks, Logue told Reuters Health by email.In a small observational study conducted on a grassy
field in Albuquerque, the researchers set up a mannequin head wearing a UVA/B light meter and faced it
toward a standard musician's sheet stand. Then they placed various mobile devices on the stand.In two
trials, the researchers recorded UV readings for an hour of exposure, from 11 AM to noon, using a
magazine, an iPhone5, various iPad models, two Macbook laptops and a Kindle e-reader.
In the first trial the devices were 16.5 inches from the UV sensor. For the second, they were secured 12.25
inches away. The devices and the UV sensor were angled to mimic an adult looking down at the handheld
device.The study team measured UVA/B dose exposure from light reflected by the devices in Joules per
square centimeter over one hour and compared that to the UV readings with an empty sheet stand.In the
first trial, when the devices were further away from the mannequin, an open magazine increased UV
dosage exposure by 46 percent compared to the sheet stand alone, an iPad2 increased exposure by about
85 percent and an 11-inch Macbook increased UV exposure by 75 percent.
Only the second trial, with devices held closer to the mannequin's "face," included the iPhone5, which
increased UV exposure by 36 percent, as the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Academy
of Dermatology."The harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays have been well documented, and limiting
exposure is the single most effective preventive measure an individual can take," Logue said. "Significant
levels of UV exposure, such as those found in this study, increase cumulative lifetime UV dosage.
"Given the increase in UV exposure, there needs to be further research to see if skin cancer risks are
affected, she said."While the best course of action is to limit smart device usage to the indoors, this is
obviously impractical for most people," Logue said. "We recommend covering the shoulders, wearing
sunglasses and wearing sunscreen, especially on the exposed areas of the neck and face."The devices
themselves could be redesigned to be less reflective, or to include UV sensor technology so their users
could track their exposure, she said. Dr Robert Dellavalle, chief of the Dermatology Service at the Denver
VA Medical Center, who was not part of the new study, said that while the research did not involve real
people using the devices, it still raised a practical point. In real world use, it may be hard to see phone or
tablet screens in full sun, and using them may actually encourage shade-seeking behavior, he noted.