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What's the mechanism by which UVA and UVB radiation cause cancer?
by pton_xd 2y ago
What's the mechanism by which UVA and UVB radiation cause cancer?
- Arch485 2y agoIonization
- stvltvs 2y agoThe non-ionizing range of UV still poses a cancer risk.
- etskinner 2y agoFrom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation : >Exposure to ionizing radiation causes cell damage to living tissue and organ damage. >Gamma rays, X-rays, and the higher energy ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum are ionizing radiation, whereas the lower energy ultraviolet, visible light, nearly all types of laser light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves are non-ionizing radiation In other words, the UV causes cancer because it's in the ionizing range of the spectrum. Radio waves don't because they're not.
- pton_xd 2y agoAren't UVA and UVB the low energy / non-ionizing parts of the UV spectrum?
- etskinner 2y agoYou're right! But also, it's effectively the same as ionizing: "UV-A and UV-B are technically non-ionizing, but all UV wavelengths can cause photochemical reactions that to some extent mimic ionization. For example, ultraviolet light, even in the non-ionizing range, can produce free radicals that induce cellular damage and can cause skin cancer." https://radiation.ncdhhs.gov/NonIonizing/UVRad.htm#:~:text=UV%2DA%20and%20UV%2DB%20are%20technically%20non%2Dionizing,and%20can%20cause%20skin%20cancer https://radiation.ncdhhs.gov/NonIonizing/UVRad.htm#:~:text=U....