What does your body produce when exposed to UV light?

What does your body produce when exposed to UV light?

Your skin makes vitamin D naturally when it is exposed to UV rays from the sun. How much vitamin D you make depends on many things, including how old you are, how dark your skin is, and how strong the sunlight is where you live. Vitamin D has many health benefits. It might even help lower the risk of some cancers.

How are UV rays used by humans?

Hospitals use UV lamps to sterilise surgical equipment and the air in operating theatres. Food and drug companies also use UV lamps to sterilise their products. Suitable doses of Ultraviolet rays cause the body to produce vitamin D, and this is used by doctors to treat vitamin D deficiency and some skin disorders.

What are 3 things UV rays can do to the human body?

Health Effects of UV Radiation

• Skin cancer (melanoma and nonmelanoma)
• Premature aging and other skin damage.
• Cataracts and other eye damage.
• Immune system suppression.

What do UV rays stimulate in the skin?

UVB rays provide the energy your skin needs to make Vitamin D, they stimulate the production of melanin which is responsible for tanning.

What is harmful UV?

Short-wavelength UVC is the most damaging type of UV radiation. However, it is completely filtered by the atmosphere and does not reach the earth’s surface. Medium-wavelength UVB is very biologically active but cannot penetrate beyond the superficial skin layers.

Is UVB good for humans?

UVB rays damage the outermost layers of the skin. They directly damage DNA. UVB rays cause most skin cancers, but they can also contribute to skin aging prematurely. They’re partially absorbed by the ozone layer, but some rays still get through.

Is UV good for skin?

UV exposure is a powerful attack on the skin, creating damage that can range from premature wrinkles to dangerous skin cancer. Damage from UV exposure is cumulative and increases your skin cancer risk over time. While your body can repair some of the DNA damage in skin cells, it can’t repair all of it.

How does UV radiation affect the human body?

UV exposure increases the risk of potentially blinding eye diseases, if eye protection is not used. Overexposure to UV radiation can lead to serious health issues, including cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States.

Where does the energy from UV radiation come from?

What is UV radiation? Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that comes from the sun and man-made sources like tanning beds and welding torches. Radiation is the emission (sending out) of energy from any source.

What kind of UV rays can a person be exposed to?

People can also be exposed to man-made sources of UV rays. These include: Sunlamps and sunbeds (tanning beds and booths): The amount and type of UV radiation someone is exposed to from a tanning bed (or booth) depends on the specific lamps used in the bed, how long a person stays in the bed, and how many times the person uses it.

How are UV rays different from other types of radiation?

UV radiation is divided into 3 main groups: UVA rays have the least energy among UV rays. These rays can cause skin cells to age and can cause some indirect damage to cells’ DNA. UVB rays have slightly more energy than UVA rays. They can damage the DNA in skin cells directly, and are the main rays that cause sunburns.