Reducing UV Exposure

Taking simple precautions can prevent damage from UV rays, while still making the time spent outdoors enjoyable. The following strategies can reduce your UV radiation exposure:

• Stay indoors/in the shade between 11am and 3pm - when the UV radiation level is at its peak.
• Make sure you and your family never burn.
• Wear protective clothing. Wear a broad brimmed or legionnaire style hat to protect the eyes, face and neck.
• Protect the eyes with sunglasses, preferably the wrap-around style.
• Use and reapply broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least sun protection factor (SPF) 15+ liberally to skin not covered by clothing.
• Remember if the temperature drops it does not mean the UV radiation level has decreased.
• Protect young children, with shade, sun-protective clothing, sun hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. They are unaware of the dangers.*
• Use pram cover and shade for babies. It is recommended that babies under the age of one should stay completely out of the sun. Use protective clothing/pram cover and shade even on a cloudy day.
• Parents should model behaviour for children.

Particular care should be taken with young children’s exposure to the sun. The World Health Organisation “frequent sun exposure and sunburn in childhood appears to set the stage for higher rates of melanoma (skin cancer) in later life“. The Skin & Cancer Foundation Australia believes that "the deleterious effects of uv radiation exposure are cumulative throughout your life".

Useful information can be found on the Sunsmart (Cancer Research UK) website:

http://cancerresearchuk.org/sunsmart/

Cancer Research UK's recent thoughts on the increasing incidence of skin cancer:

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/skin-cancer-rates-five-times-higher-than-in-70s

BBC articles questioning whether sunscreen can be relied upon:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27793354