Solar keratoses. The association with erythemal ultraviolet radiation in Australia.

The prevalence rate of solar keratoses among 2000 residents of Melbourne, Australia, was compared to the rate among 2113 residents of Maryborough, a north central Victorian city. There was a significantly higher prevalence rate among the Australian-born population of Maryborough compared with Melbourne residents of the same age, sex, country of birth, and level of outdoor activity. Calculation of the erythemal ultraviolet radiation level revealed a 14.2% increase in the dose in Maryborough compared with that in Melbourne. These figures demonstrate a significant increase in the rate of solar keratoses, and thus the potential for the development of skin cancer, in all of the age groups studied. The difference was associated with a relatively small increase in ultraviolet radiation between two areas that are separated by a latitude distance of only 110 km.