Have Fun in the Sun: UV Safety Month

What’s your favorite outdoor activity? Whether it’s swimming, hiking, boating or fishing, don’t forget to protect your skin and eyes from the sun when you head outside to enjoy long summer days. The sun emits radiation in the form of ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV radiation is highest when and where the sun’s rays are the strongest. This means that UV levels will be highest around noon on a clear sunny day, as well as during the summer months. UV levels will also be highest near surfaces that reflect sunlight, like water, snow and sand.

Exposure to UV can cause sunburn (ouch!), skin aging, eye damage and skin cancer – the most common form of cancer in the United States – and an estimated 76,100 U.S. residents will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2014 (See state data). But there’s good news: skin cancer and other effects of UV exposure are largely preventable.

UV Protection Tips

Tip: July is UV Safety Month, a great time to brush-up on strategies for staying safe – and having fun! – in the sun.

• Know before you go: Check the UV Index, which provides a forecast of the expected risk of overexposure to UV radiation from the sun.

• Wear sunscreen: Sunscreens with Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 15 and higher provide protection by preventing UV radiation from reaching your skin. Reapply every two hours and after swimming, working or exercising outside.