How is it that sunlight, once regarded as a divine power in some cultures, has come to be classified as a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO)? This is a question posed by photobiologist Dr. Alexander Wunsch, CEO of Medical Light Consulting in Heidelberg, Germany.
It’s a fundamental one because it shows the dichotomy between sunlight in ancient and modern cultures. Once revered as a healing power, today sunlight is blamed for disease and humans are urged to largely shun this natural element.
In the video above, Wunsch explores sunlight from a historical perspective, including how both public and medical opinions of sunlight have changed dramatically over time. He says:
“Nowadays, sunlight is not fashionable anymore. Some experts even try to ban the tan, others work on restrictions, the U.S. Surgeon General issues a call to action on UV and tanning. How can we deal with these dark clouds in a formerly sunny sky?
Knowing more details about the past can help us to adjust and normalize the extreme positions of the ‘no sun policy’ advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the anti-cancer associations and many dermatologists.”