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- Our Children Need Protection from Ultraviolet Radiation from the Sun!!
Our Children Need Protection from Ultraviolet Radiation from the Sun!!
- By Chris Sajnendra
- Published 27 January 2008
- Whats New? , Healthy Children , Ageing Well , Ailments
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Chris Sajnendra
Christopher Sajnendra is a Pharmacist with over 15 years experience in retail pharmacy in Australia and overseas. He has a special interest in addressing health issues in a holistic and integrative manner presenting solutions that incorporate both complemenatery therapies as well as traditional medicine. He is also a clinical pharmacist accredited to carry out Home Medication Reviews and is also the resident pharmacist on the board of http://Healthflame.com and http://Pharmacyflame.com
View all articles by Chris Sajnendra
What exactly is UV radiation?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one component of solar radiation and it is gradually filtered as sunlight passes through the atmosphere, in particular by the ozone layer.
So why is UV radiation so harmful?
Most of us are already aware that UV radiation causes sunburn and skin cancer. It also accelerates skin ageing.
Overexposure to UV radiation can also lead to:
• Inflammation of the cornea (crystal clear portion of the surface of the eye that lets light enter) and the conjunctiva (a thin membrane that covers the surface of the inner eyelid and the white part of the eyeball).This can cause or accelerate cataract development.
• A health issue of growing concern is that UV radiation can reduce the effectiveness of the human immune system.
• As a result, overexposure to the harmful UV radiation may enhance the risk of infection and could limit the efficacy of immunization against disease.
Unfortunately, as many developing countries are located close to the equator and hence exposed to very high levels of UV radiation, it is the children of some of these poor countries that are most at risk.
Does the ozone layer not provide us with enough protection?
Lately with so much press about global warming we have come to realize that as the ozone layer is depleted, the protective filter activity of the atmosphere is reduced and more UV radiation, in particular the more harmful UVB, reaches the Earth's surface.
Did you know that in the year 2000, the ozone hole over the Antarctic reached its biggest size ever, covering 11.4 million square miles - an area more than three times the size of the United States of America!
For the first time it also stretched over populated areas exposing local residents to extreme levels of solar UV radiation. This led to local authorities in Southern Chile to warn their residents that they could sunburn in less than seven minutes and should avoid spending time outdoors in the middle of the day.
The fact is that continual ozone depletion and increased levels of UV radiation on Earth will carry on aggravating UV effects on the human skin, eyes and immune system. For example, a 10% decrease in total ozone is predicted to result in an astounding 1.6 to 1.75 million additional cases of cataract per year worldwide.
Children are at the highest risk of suffering damage from exposure to UV radiation.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one component of solar radiation and it is gradually filtered as sunlight passes through the atmosphere, in particular by the ozone layer.
So why is UV radiation so harmful?
Most of us are already aware that UV radiation causes sunburn and skin cancer. It also accelerates skin ageing.
Overexposure to UV radiation can also lead to:
• Inflammation of the cornea (crystal clear portion of the surface of the eye that lets light enter) and the conjunctiva (a thin membrane that covers the surface of the inner eyelid and the white part of the eyeball).This can cause or accelerate cataract development.
• A health issue of growing concern is that UV radiation can reduce the effectiveness of the human immune system.
• As a result, overexposure to the harmful UV radiation may enhance the risk of infection and could limit the efficacy of immunization against disease.
Unfortunately, as many developing countries are located close to the equator and hence exposed to very high levels of UV radiation, it is the children of some of these poor countries that are most at risk.
Does the ozone layer not provide us with enough protection?
Lately with so much press about global warming we have come to realize that as the ozone layer is depleted, the protective filter activity of the atmosphere is reduced and more UV radiation, in particular the more harmful UVB, reaches the Earth's surface.
Did you know that in the year 2000, the ozone hole over the Antarctic reached its biggest size ever, covering 11.4 million square miles - an area more than three times the size of the United States of America!
For the first time it also stretched over populated areas exposing local residents to extreme levels of solar UV radiation. This led to local authorities in Southern Chile to warn their residents that they could sunburn in less than seven minutes and should avoid spending time outdoors in the middle of the day.
The fact is that continual ozone depletion and increased levels of UV radiation on Earth will carry on aggravating UV effects on the human skin, eyes and immune system. For example, a 10% decrease in total ozone is predicted to result in an astounding 1.6 to 1.75 million additional cases of cataract per year worldwide.
Children are at the highest risk of suffering damage from exposure to UV radiation.
