sciencetech-blog

comments

A waterproof wristband that tells people when they've been in the sun too long could help combat soaring skin cancer cases.

The band changes colour from yellow to pink on UV exposure, warning people when to seek the shade before getting burnt.

At £1 ($1.7) each, Scottish scientists developed it as a cheaper, more effective way of reducing rates of skin cancer.

The band changes colour from yellow to pink, warning people when to seek the shade before getting burnt

The most virulent form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is now five times higher than 40 years ago, with diagnoses in 17 people per 100,000 each year, compared with just three per 100,000 in the 1970s, according to figures from Cancer Research. 

Malignant melanoma was responsible for more than 2,200 deaths in the UK in 2011 alone.

In the US, more than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.

The Smartsun monitor works through a significant colour change, created by an acid-release agent which detects ultraviolet light and a dye responding to pH levels in the indicator

The wristband's sensitivity to ultraviolet light means it can alert the wearer to the danger before it is visible on the skin.

The Smartsun monitor works through a significant colour change, created by an acid-release agent which detects ultraviolet light and a dye responding to pH levels in the indicator.

The agent is decomposed by sunlight, leading to the rapid colour change. 

The bands are tailored to different skin types to reflect the different tolerance levels that people have to the sun.

For example, a band for someone with fair hair and light skin will change colour quicker than a band for someone with dark hair and dark skin. 

Professor Andrew Mills and Dr Michael McFarlane developed the original invention while they were with Strathclyde University's Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

It is now being marketed by Swedish-based company Intellego Technologies, established by entrepreneur Claes Lindahl.

The development of the device received initial funding and support from Scottish Enterprise's Proof of Concept Programme, which is partly funded by the European Union.

The most virulent form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is now five times higher than 40 years ago, with diagnoses in 17 people per 100,000 each year, compared with just three per 100,000 in the 1970s