4X more suburban UV than urban UV – Nov 2010

In Vitro Model of Vitamin D Synthesis by UV Radiation in an Australian Urban Environment.

Photochem Photobiol. 2010 Nov 26. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2010.00865.x.
Kinley AM, Janda M, Auster J, Kimlin M.
AusSun Research Laboratory, School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology.

Vitamin D, an important constituent of human health, is produced through exposure of human skin to short wave (280-315 nm) ultraviolet radiation (UV). We aimed to establish whether an urbanized environment with tall buildings in close proximity (an 'urban canyon') significantly reduced the capacity of sunlight to synthesize vitamin D, when compared to a typical suburban area (?2.5 km away); and to investigate the association of UV and vitamin D production with pollution, temperature, and humidity. Measurements of ambient UV (295-400 nm) (using a portable photometer/radiometer and detector) and synthesized vitamin D (from an in vitro model) were taken regularly at urban and control sites over three months in Brisbane, Australia. During a typical 20-minute measurement, urban and control sites received 0.26 and 1.03 W/m(2) mean total UV respectively (p<0.001), and produced 0.12 and 0.53 ?g/mL mean vitamin D (p<0.001). Pollution, temperature and humidity were not associated with UV or vitamin D production. This demonstrates a large difference in vitamin D synthesis between an urban canyon and a nearby control site. Although the results cannot be directly applied to humans, they emphasize the need for further study of human vitamin D production in urban environments. PMID: 21114497
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Amazing that there was 4X less UVB just 2.5 KM away.

Wonder if the urban site had direct sunlight - that would account for it - the paper did not mention

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Urban residents had 2X less vitamin D – 2008
• Air pollution reduces UV and thus vitamin D - Aug 2010
• All items noontime sun and Vitamin D 331 items
• all items in Category Deficiency of D 431 items
• An overview analysis of the time people spend outdoors – Dec 2010
• No – 10 minutes per day of sun-UVB is NOT enough
• Higher air pollution associated with 7 ng lower vitamin D levels – Aug 2013
• Search VitaminDWiki for "air pollution" 86 web pages items as of Dec 2020