UV Rays Urgent Facts
Effects and Dangers You Need to Know Now

Sun Protection is a fact of life™

UV rays and protection against it, must be a daily routine. In our world of ever decreasing ozone layer, it's crucial to become aware of all the dangers and side effects of UV rays.

Here are some important facts:

UV light also known as ultraviolet rays are really invisible electromagnetic waves emanating and pouring down on us from the sun.

They are normally broken down into 3 categories:

• UVA - wavelength of 315 nm to 400 nm

• UVB - wavelength of 280 nm to 315 nm

• UVC - wavelength of 100 nm to 280 nm

nm is the abbreviation for nanometer and wavelength is the distance measured from one peak to the next.

All three kinds are dangerous.

Though UV rays can not be seen by the naked eye, but they can penetrate the human skin and the eyes in one way or another and damage the cells.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, thereby damaging the cushioning and underlying part of the skin called elastin and collagen.

This causes the skin to age prematurely and to show wrinkles. Most importantly the basis for skin cancer is planted in this fashion.

UVB rays normally affect the outer layer of the skin or its surface. This is the main cause for getting a sunburn .

For total UV protection, the sunscreen must be clearly marked for both UVA and UVB blockage. However, the sunscreen alone may not be enough.

How often and when it's applied makes a huge difference. Please follow the instructions carefully.

The UV rays or Ultraviolet radiation affect us daily, 365 days a year. It does not matter if it's sunny or not. The higher the elevation the stronger the UV exposure gets.

This is constantly happening when you are in flight up in the sky or visiting mountain tops especially in our National Parks.

It also depends on the Geography. It means where you live or visit on our planet at a given time.

If you are near the equator, there are many days with a UV index of 10 or higher. That is considered extreme UV exposure. Extra care must be taken by way of wearing UV protective clothing, UV sunglasses and a wide brim sun hat.

The UV index measures how strong are the rays for that particular day. It can range from zero to more than 10 . Normally the range of 0 to 3 indicates the low end of it.

However when the weather man or woman forecasts a UV index of 6 or higher, all precautions must be taken. Use of maximum sun protective clothing is recommended.

Otherwise, a person is leaving his body wide open to sunburn, skin disorders, skin damage, skin aging, wrinkles, skin cancers such as malignant melanoma and even eye sight problems.

UV exposure can be from a natural source such as the Sun, or man made such sun lamps. For instance tanning beds which use ultraviolet light, could potentially do more harm to the skin than benefit it.

Since the rays help the skin produce vitamin D in our bodies, one might conclude that we must expose ourselves in order to receive sufficient vitamins.

However that is not the case, since the risks heavily out weigh the benefits. Perhaps airbrush tanning would suffice!

Vitamin D can be balanced in our body by eating or drinking fortified foods and drinks. UV rays do not need to bombard our skin for a healthy diet.

Not only can the heat waves get past some windows, but also the UV radiation. Nowadays there are many companies who make UV film or window film for both homes and cars.

This is also known as window tinting. The film is manufactured so that it blocks 99 to 100% of the UV rays. In the case of your home, these window films protect you as well as your furniture.

The fact is that UV fades colors. So whether it's your furniture or your hair, you need to protect it.

There are many hair products on the market with special UV protection formula. So your hair and scalp get both protected.

UV rays generally pass thru the eye. They can damage the lense in the front section of the eye and cause Cataract or hit the rear portion called the Retina and lay the foundation for macular degeneration .

Both of which can lead to blindness . Cataract can be cured by way of replacing the real lense with an artificial one. However, Macular Degeneration may not be reversible and can cause permanent blindness.

Therefore one must take this very seriously and wear sunglasses which have 100% UV protection rating for both UVA and UVB.

This is critical on road trips or even a trip to the local market. The UV rays can reflect off of the road or your car's front hood right back in the face.

Here is the list of UV protection items:

• UV protection clothing

• UV hat or sun protection hat

• UV protection shirt or sun protection shirt

• UV protection swimming suits

• UV protection swimwear or kids swimwear

• UV protection detergent

• UV protection sunglasses or baby sunglasses

• UV protection umbrella or Sun Protection Umbrella

• UV protection fabric

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