April 24, 2015

U is for Ultraviolet Radiation


My theme for my 2015 A to Z Challenge came from my Disaster Crimes series. Disasters are a theme in each story, so it got me thinking about all the disasters that occur from natural disasters to manmade disasters.

Today’s disaster is...
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation in sunlight. Suntans and sunburns are effects of ultraviolet over-exposure, as is skin cancer. Without the ozone layer protecting Earth, much of the world would be extremely damaged by ultraviolet rays, especially dry lands and the plants and animals that live there.

You may not consider this a disaster, but consider a sudden blast of UV radiation strong enough to scorch the earth and burn you to a crisp. Ouch!

FACT: Some children and young adults with medical conditions (mostly to the eyes) can see ultraviolet wavelengths, although they are usually invisible. Some birds and insects can see near-UV.

We live with both helpful and harmful ultraviolet radiation. The helpful UV radiation offers plant and tree life nutrients to grow, and gives us Vitamin D. The harmful UV radiation causes burns, skin cancer, and cataracts.


To protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation you can:
1. Use sunscreen daily and frequently when outside for long periods of time.
2. Wear UV-protected sunglasses.
3. Avoid tanning beds and sun tanning (especially with baby oil).
4. Utilize shade.
5. Get Vitamin D through a supplement instead. 


QUESTION: Are you a sun person?
I live in Florida but the sun and I don't get along.

114 comments:

  1. Many of us in Jamaica don't use sunscreen, however, the incidence of skin cancer is also very low and usually affects those with lighter skin tone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. People with lighter skin do have more issues with the sun. I'm one of them.

      Delete
  2. Thank you for your posts... it has been an eye opener and some closing...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Jeremy! And thank you for the comment. :)

      Delete
  3. I agree with Jeremy it has certainly been an eye openr has to what is going on in the world.
    Thanks for another great Post.
    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm definitely not a sun person. I use a lot of sunblock and stay to the shade whenever I can. Congratulations on Ghost of Death! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You and are sound the same. lol

      Thank you!!! :)

      Delete
  5. How weird it would be to see ultraviolet.
    I am not a sun person. I burn really fast.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wandered what you would post for U:) I'm a redhead, so sadly the sun and I don't get along. It's SPF 100plus for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to think hard for this one. I'm not a redhead but can you pass that SPF 100+ to me? ;P

      Delete
  7. Hi Chrys - I'd hate to be fried to a crisp .. but ultra-violet has some incredible attributes for looking at things and understanding light better - but a dose no thank you.

    I enjoy the sun ... and try and remember to be careful ... ours is windburn too .. not a nice way to go ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ultraviolet does have it's purposes, but like most anything else, too much is not a good thing.

      Windburn...ouch!

      Delete
  8. Here in New Zealand UV is stronger in summer due to the hole in the Ozone layer over Antarctica. I nearly always am covered in the sun, long sleeves, hat, sunscreen, etc. .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gosh, I wouldn't do well in New Zealand then. :(

      Delete
  9. I'm naturally quite dark-skinned, so I don't spend time lying around seeking a tan. I think we created quite a disaster by eroding the ozone layer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm fair skinned but I don't lay around seeking a tan either. We sure did create a disaster with being so careless about the earth.

      Delete
  10. I burn pretty easily so I don't spend too much time out in the sun without lots and lots of sunblock.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am Irish. We don't tan, we reflect back 99.7% of the sun's rays back and then use the remaining 0.3% to burn like lobsters in a pot.

    Congrats on "Ghost of Death" coming out! I just bought it from Amazon!

    --
    Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
    2015 A to Z of Vampires
    http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! That made me laugh. I'm not Irish, but I do the same thing. People like to joke that I'm a vampire.

      Thank you so much, Timothy! I hope you enjoy it! :)

      Delete
  12. UV, the slow moving disaster. When I was younger, growing up on the beach, I spent way too much time out laying in the sun, but these days I seek the shade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a very good way to put it...the slow moving disaster.

      Delete
  13. I love the sun but that's because being in Canada we only get the hot sun for about 4 months of the year. We get tons of rain on the West Coast so when the sun shines I like to lap it up. I always wear sunscreen though and proper sunglasses. I love the shade in the summer over direct sunlight. You're so lucky you live in Florida!! You don't get along with the sun though? How do you get away from it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How lucky YOU are. lol. Living in Florida, we get the hot sun pretty much year-round and I hate it. How do I get away from it? I stay indoors. :P

      Delete
    2. We should do a one week house swap next winter. Ha! You could enjoy the rain ;)

      Delete
    3. I like rain! :D Just not thunderstorms or floods. haha

      Delete
  14. I am not a sun person at all. I have very fair skin and me and the sun don't get on. I don't tan (except for a very pale ginger if I'm lucky), I mainly just go red and then back to white again. I like a nice bright sunny day, but I'll be the one with the factor 30 sun cream and the sunhat :D
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
    FB3X
    Wittegen Press

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My skin is the same way. I burn and then go back to ghostly white. :P

      Delete
  15. I hide away, being a hermit and a writer the sun doesn't see me much lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. wow never knew some people with certain medical conditions can see the waves. I'm with you guys in hermitville--I am really paranoid about tanning/burning. I have super pale skin and I like it, and would like to preserve it! I do have a pool I use in summers but I slather on SPF 70+ and reapply and get lots of shade! I had a friend who went to the tanning beds three times a WEEK. Insane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't understand how anyone can like using tanning beds. Even if I liked to tan, I wouldn't do in one.

      Delete
  17. Bright light hurts my eyes, so I prefer a cloudy day. I always wear sunglasses, no matter what the weather is doing. Now that it's warming up, I'll have to break out the sunscreen again. Putting it on isn't such a big deal, but making sure my kids are covered can be a pain.

    I remember seeing a fifteen year old tanning bed enthusiast many years ago. She was very tan, but had the face of a bulldog. Wrinkles at fifteen? Not a good choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wear my sunglasses all the time too. Even on cloudy days.

      Ew! Who wants wrinkles at a young age?

      Delete
  18. I was always teased as a youth because I'm so 'pasty white'. I love the sun being out more than an overcast day. But being in the direct sunlight hurts. I always wear shades and long sleeves if I can manage it. Doesn't take long for the UV to cook me. I've tried tanning in the past, doesn't work. I just burn and look like a cooked lobster. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a kid, I was pretty tan for playing outdoors but as a teen I was outside less and became pasty white. I always have to wear my sunglasses too. Even in the shade.

      Delete
  19. My skin is way too pasty white to enjoy the sun for more than a few hours and even then that's pushing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only pasty person out there. We should make a club. :P

      Delete
    2. YES! And eat Pasta at the same time.
      The Tasty, Pasty Pasta Club!

      Delete
    3. I love pasta! That sounds like my kind of club. :D

      Delete
  20. When I was a teen, having a suntan was all the rage. We used baby oil. Didn't have all the sun screens we do today. I don't tan easily. But kept trying. Not a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My mom tanned all the time too and used baby oil. She still loves to tan.

      Delete
  21. I'm not a sun person, either. I burn very easily, so I cover up and wear lots of sunscreen.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Excellent post, Chrys! I never did see the logic behind tanning beds; good grief, go outside for awhile! That being said, I once spent an entire day on a fishing boat which resulted in such a terrible sunburn it took nearly an entire aloe plant (leaves pull the heat out while the juice soothes the burn) to alleviate the pain! Never again for this kid. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can't say that I'd appreciate being burnt to a crisp.

    Good luck with the A to Z Challenge!
    A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
    http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love the sun, but don't spend a lot of time out in it. Especially in the winter time where it disappears for days on end.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I visited Michigan to see my dad in February years ago and it was very overcast with heavy winter clouds.

      Delete
  25. I so love the sun and being outdoors. But since I have an auto-immune disease, the docs all agree I should not spend long periods of time in the direct sunlight. Now, when I go out, I always wear some super-duty suntan lotion, a giant hat and big ole pair of sunglasses. I'm starting to feel like a day walker....lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry you have an auto-immune disease. :(

      I always feel like a vampire. :P

      Delete
  26. I believe that this came up in the movie "The Core." The main character put a peach on a fork and said something like, "This is the Earth. And this is the Earth with a failing ozone." And took a blowtorch to it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I often forget the sun protection. Tomorrow my son and I are going skiing again. I'll try to remember the sunscreen

    Cold As Heaven

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good idea! Even in the winter or snowy places the sun can still burn.

      Delete
  28. No I am not a sun worshipper. I burn easily-Blond and pale-that's me:) I would never use those sun tanning beds. I remember, in the 70's the commercials for all those oils so you get a nice tan. I recall one blond tanned chicky bird wearing a shark tooth waist bracelet on the Ads.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know why anyone would want to tan so much. It doesn't loot natural.

      Delete
  29. I'm more of a moon girl. I avoid the sun as much as possible. It's brightness hurts my eyes, and I can't wear sunscreen on most of my body because I break out in these weird tiny bumps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a moon girl too. I love the night, stars and moon. It's interesting to know that the sun doesn't just hurt my eyes. A lot of other commenters have said the same thing.

      Delete
  30. I love the sun, but I'm always careful. I used to work for a cancer foundation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You worked with a cancer foundation? That's awesome!

      Delete
  31. I think tanning beds should be banned. Kids use them and don't realize how bad they are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they should be banned too. They have been proved not to be healthy.

      Delete
  32. A couple of weeks ago, I had to write about radiation lawsuits... I had to go in depth into the types of errors that can lead to an injury when you're getting an X-ray or scan...very scary stuff. I don't think I want any tests done any time soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've had a lot of X-rays done before and after I had spine surgery and I hated getting them done every single time. I was worried about it damaging my ovaries.

      Delete
  33. Totally a sun worshipper. This would be really bad if I lived somewhere I could abuse it worse, but I've lived in Idaho, Oregon and Michigan. The middle one had lots of clouds and rain and the other two, short summers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So it seems you can't worship it as much as you would. I guess that it a good thing. :)

      Delete
  34. Yeah, me and the sun are not friends, either. I'm fair skinned, so I burn really easily. But that's what a big hat and good sunscreen is for.

    ReplyDelete
  35. As a former PE teacher I've always spent a lot of time in the sun plus playing sports and watching my kids play sports and growing up on a farm...in other words I visit the dermatologists every year and get my skin checked out.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The sun and I don't get along either, I burn easily. I have the fair skin of Scottish descent and suffered many sunburns as a child. My sister who lives in Atlanta but grew up in middle Georgia has had to have many moles and several pre-cancerous spots removed and she used to tan easily. I noticed how much hotter the sun felt on our last trip to Georgia and Florida. It wonder about the thinning of our ozone layer on Earth. Besides, those who tan in youth, usually will pay the price later in life. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is really hot in Florida now. The sun is a lot hotter here now than when I was a kid. That's for sure!

      Delete
  37. Wow, people can actually see UV rays? I wonder how they look like? Me and the sun are friends, but I respect him. I don't abuse him by taking advantage.

    Elizabeth Mueller
    AtoZ 2015
    My Little Pony

    ReplyDelete
  38. See that band of blue/purple on the spectrum? That's the harmful "bluelight" that is emitted from CFL bulbs, smart phones, tablets, laptops, and LED TVs. Stuff accelerates retinal cell death.

    Fun, huh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eek! Not fun at all. I did know that about bluelight.

      Delete
  39. The sun is dangerous! If I forget forget my sunscreen, I can get burned in fifteen minutes. I don't know why anyone would ever want to lie out in the sun just to get tanned.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I do not like the sun unless I am looking at a sunny day from inside. In the "olden days" in order to take a picture outside you were told to face the sun. I remember my parents telling me to stop scowling for a family photo, but I just couldn't. The sun hurt my eyes too much! Now I know what it was doing to them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I do not like the sun unless I am looking at a sunny day from inside." Ha! I love that! :P

      Delete
  41. I'm not a sun person. Some people are even allergic to it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's right! I remember watching a movie about these kids being allergic to it. I know on The Others they were allergic to it too.

      Delete
  42. I live in Nigeria, and it's always sunny. I have so gotten used to the heat, I run from the cold instead lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know a lot of people who run from the cold. ;)

      Delete
  43. It gets to be 117F here in the summer time. It feels like your brain is boiling if you're out in the sun long enough but I fear getting really burned and try to stay indoors as much as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'm paler than a ghost, so I need 65 SPF sunscreen. I'll turn redder than a lobster if I don't put some on. My skin doesn't really tan, but is either ghost-white or lobster-red. Air conditioning is such a miracle of modern times, enabling people to stay cool inside when it's so hot. I almost had a heat stroke because my ex-roommate was too cheap and "natural" to want to pay a little extra for AC in the hottest months of the year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My skin is the same way as yours. I've had a broken AC before and hated it because I don't do well in the heat.

      Delete
  45. We don't get a lot of sun for the most part around here. I sort of like to be out in the sun, but I'm not one of those tan types at all. A huge UV blast is a disaster indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm a fanatic about putting on sunscreen, but I'm also from the generation that slathered on baby oil to get a deep tan. It looked so good at the time. Now so many of us are paying the price!
    Inventions by Women A-Z
    Shells–Tales–Sails

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My mom used that baby oil but she does not believe in sunscreen.

      Delete
  47. I burn easily but not as bad as I did in Australia. I end up getting sunscreen imported from Oz as it works so much better than anything I can find here.

    Sean at His and Hobbies

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? I wonder if it's better than the sunscreen I use.

      Delete
  48. I'm definitely a sun person but I have to be careful. I got sunburned really severely in Hawaii once and I couldn't sleep for the entire trip. I could barely put on enough clothes to go out of the room. It was miserable, but I was sun starved because I was living in Alaska at the time.

    Another thing with the sun is to protect your eyes from UV-A and UV-B rays and also used good polarized sunglasses. I now have macular degeneration due to too much sun exposure. Be careful people. You only have one set of eyes.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ouch! That sounds painful.

      Thanks for the tip, Sunni!

      Delete
  49. As a Florida native, I tried all of my younger days to worship the sun, and always got burned! I take care now and am living with the results of not having done that before! Lisa, co-host A to Z Challenge 2015 and http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It seems we are all paying the price for our sun-loving youth.

      Delete
  50. I love the sun, LOL, It shining on my face and making me warm is such a nice feeling. I don't think I could survive in a place that didn't get a lot of sun. I was one of those "bad" people that sun tanned (burnt) using baby oil years ago before we knew better. I'm surprised I don't have the sun damage or skin cancer.

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Baby oil has been mentioned quite a few times in the comments here. I used it maybe once or twice. But never again.

      Delete
  51. I always wear sunscreen. I was more tan years ago, but I'm spending more time indoors, and I tend to go out early in the morning and in the evening.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I am totally not a sun person - I like it when it's warm, but I prefer to sit in the shade of an umbrella or tree. I have very pale skin which does not tan - not even a little. White or lobster - those are my choices ;)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My skin doesn't tan either. It used to, but now it refuses. :P

      Delete
  53. I used to sunbathe, still do a bit, but I never spend long in the sun. Most people seem to spend way to long burning themselves to a crisp. I used to live near the beach in NC and you would see people on the beaches turning themselves the colour of mahogany. Very dangerous. Hubby got skin cancer once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I'll sit out in the sit for a little bit to get some exposure because a little bit of sunlight is good for you, but I get too hot too quickly. I'm glad your husband is okay now.

      Delete
  54. It must be tough living in Florida having to always be protected from the sun. I'm also very fair skinned. Glad you're taking the necessary precautions.

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is tough. I always say I'll move somewhere where it doesn't get so hot. lol

      Delete
  55. I love the sun, but not the heat! :) I've noticed that the UV is much stronger now than it used to be, and I really have to watch it when I go outside. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And it'll only get stronger, unfortunately.

      Delete