Sun Safety during Narragansett Rhode Island summers
6/2/2020 (Permalink)
UVA & UVB Rays
Did you know that the sun's ultraviolet rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes? It's important to check the UV index in your area before heading out, you can check for your area by clicking here.
So what exactly are UVA and UVB rays?
UVA rays are the most damaging to the skin. UVB rays play the biggest roles in causing skin cancers.
UVA Rays
- Higher wavelength
- Penetrate more skin than UVB rays
- Can cause indirect damage to DNA
- Can penetrate windows and clouds
UVB Rays
- Shorter wavelengths
- Damages the outer layers of the skin
- Directly causes damage to DNA
- Can't penetrate windows and can be filtered by clouds
When are UV rays the strongest?
UV exposure is the highest between 10am and 4pm. According to Healthline.com, during this time, the sun's rays have less distance to cover, making them more powerful.
It's important to protect yourself from the sun's strong UV rays to prevent any skin damage. You can reduce the risk of skin damage by hanging out in shady, cool areas and applying suncreen before sun exposure. Whenever possible, you should wear long sleeved shirts and long pants. Wearing darker colored clothing may offer more protection than wearing light colored clothing in the sun. If wearing long clothing is impractical for the situation, be sure to have a shirt on or some other sort of covering to limit sun exposure. Wearing a hat that shades your face, ears, and back of the neck is the best extra sun protection you could have. Avoid wearing hats made from straw or any with holes, though.
Don't forget! Protecting your eyes is JUST as important as protecting your skin from the sun, don't forget your sunglasses!
For more information on sun safety, visit these following resources:
- https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/action-steps-sun-safety
- https://search.epa.gov/epasearch/?querytext=sun+safety&areaname=&areacontacts=&areasearchurl=&typeofsearch=epa&result_template=2col.ftl#/
- https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/children.htm