In article ,
Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

a small number of what? I didn't mean "within minutes, skin will burn
badly enough for hospital admission".

Well, yes, I assumed that you didn't.

The fast May burn I'm talking about is the kind when skin begins to
sting within minutes of sun exposure. Red within a half hour. Painful
hot and tight during the night, maybe with watery blisters, peels off a
few days later. That's what the Dr below commented on. She didn't
recognise that the sting on her tropic-accustomed skin could be giving
her a warning after mere minutes of exposure in Scotland.

Hmm. I have heard enough reports of that to accept that it is NOT
just hysteria, but I have also seen enough contrary evidence to
suspect that it isn't quite what it is claimed to be.

I don't know Darwin, but I suspect that you are assigning the effect
to the wrong cause.

What do you think the cause is?

Dunno. I would have to investigate carefully. As I said, for reasons
I can't explain, a salt wind will do that. So will a pollen-laden
wind. But I can't rule out plain ultraviolet radiation, though I
doubt it.

So whaddya reckon accounts for the many observations by people who
weren't expecting their skin to suddenly start tingling and going red on
May mornings in Scotland....mass hysteria ? :-)

That is always possible - think of tarantism! What I feel should be
done is some proper mensuration and collection of such reports. It
could be that the phenomenon is due to freak ultraviolet levels, but
it could also be photosensitisation. Or other causes.

http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Services/Edu...radiation.html gives some research refs at the end.

Thanks.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.