UV Safety

July is UV Safety Month. Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and protective clothing are all recommended as protection against excessive ultraviolet radiation (UV).

Do you know why you need this protection? The answer is that while small amounts of UV is essential for the production of Vitamin D, excessive UV may result in acute and chronic health effects on the skin, eye and immune system. (WHO)

But there are other UV-related issues that you should be aware of. For example, in addition to causing cancer, cataracts, and other potentially threatening health problems.

What You Can Do

When you're having fun outdoors, it's easy to forget how important it is to protect yourself from the sun. Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays in as little as 15 minutes. Yet it can take up to 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure.

Even if it's cool and cloudy, you still need protection. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage. Clouds do not block UV rays; they filter them—and sometimes only slightly. Remember to plan ahead, and keep sun protection handy in your car, bag, or child's backpack.

Tan? There's no other way to say it—tanned skin is damaged skin. Any change in the color of your skin after time outside—whether sunburn or suntan—indicates damage from UV rays. Using a tanning bed causes damage to your skin, just like the sun.

How to Protect Yourself

Take precautions against sun exposure every day of the year, especially during midday hours (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage. UV rays can reach you on cloudy days, and can reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow.

• Seek shade, especially during midday hours.
• Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin.
• Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
• Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
• Put on sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.

Tanning Beds….Safe Sun?

On an average day in the United States, more than 1 million people tan in tanning salons. Nearly 70 percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women, primarily aged 16 to 29 years. Nearly 28 million people tan indoors in the United States annually. Of these, 2.3 million are teens. The indoor tanning industry has an estimated revenue of $5 billion, a fivefold increase from 1992.

Risks of Indoor Tanning

The United State Department of Health & Human Services has declared ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, as a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance). Indoor tanning equipment, which includes all artificial light sources, including beds, lamps, bulbs, booths, etc, emits UVA and UVB radiation. The amount of the radiation produced during the indoor tanning is similar to the sun and in some cases may be stronger. Evidence from several studies has shown that exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning devices is associated with an increased risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.

By giving yourself a short refresher course in the dangers of UV and taking a few simple precautionsm you can greatly reduce your risk of sun-related illnesses.

July Fruit & Vegetable of the Month of the Month Eat a variety of Fruits and Vegetables every day!
Nectarine	Garlic

Source: www.add.org

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