Why is ultraviolet radiation dangerous?

Why is ultraviolet radiation dangerous?

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.

What can happen if you are exposed to a lot of ultraviolet radiation?

Cataracts and other eye disorders Corneal sunburn, growths on the outer surface of the eye, retinal-tissue damage, and other eye diseases are also known, or suspected, to be related to long-term exposure to UV rays.

How much UV radiation is harmful?

The skin of people who are sensitive to light can’t protect itself from UV radiation for long. In very fair-skinned people, UV radiation starts becoming harmful after about 5 to 10 minutes.

What is a harmful effect of human exposure to ultraviolet rays?

Premature Aging and Other Skin Damage Other UV-related skin disorders include actinic keratoses and premature aging of the skin. Actinic keratoses are skin growths that occur on body areas exposed to the sun.

What is the most dangerous type of UV radiation?

Short-wavelength UVC is the most damaging type of UV radiation.

How does UV radiation weaken the immune system?

UV radiation suppresses the immune system in multiple ways. It inhibits antigen presentation, stimulates the release of immunosuppressive cytokines and induces the generation of lymphocytes of the regulatory subtype. The major molecular target for UV-induced immunosuppression is UV-induced DNA damage.

What are the positive effects of UVB exposure?

The three primary health benefits of UV exposure are the production of vitamin D, improvement in mood, and increased energy. Moderate exposure to UV radiation is a good source of vitamin D. This vitamin aids in the regulation of calcium metabolism, insulin secretion, blood pressure, immunity, and cell propagation.

Why is it important to be exposed to a balanced level of UV?

A balance of ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure is important for health. Too much of the sun’s UV can cause sunburn, skin and eye damage and skin cancer. Sun exposure in the first 10 years of life is a major factor in determining future skin cancer risk. Too little UV from the sun can lead to low vitamin D levels.

How much sun is safe per day?

For most people, 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure a day is enough to receive these health benefits. To prevent sun damage and minimize health risks, you should wear broad spectrum sunscreen daily with at least an SPF of 30.

Which time sunlight is harmful?

Too much ultraviolet radiation (UV) from sunlight is dangerous. Nearly half of UV radiation is received between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are the strongest. Even on a cloudy day, you can be sunburned by UV radiation.

Is ultraviolet A ray?

Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. Short-wave ultraviolet light damages DNA and sterilizes surfaces with which it comes into contact.

Which UV rays are healthy?

Some UV radiation is essential to the body as it stimulates the production of vitamin D. Vitamin D has an important function in increasing calcium and phosphorus absorption from food and plays a crucial role in skeletal development, immune function and blood cell formation.

Which is the most dangerous type of UV radiation?

They are also strongly linked to skin cancer. UVB rays, which affect skin’s top layer, cause skin cancer and most sunburns. Although UVA and UVB rays pose the greatest risk for sun damage, people who work with welding torches or mercury lamps may be exposed to UVC rays, the most dangerous type of UV radiation.

What are the long term effects of UV radiation?

Despite these important roles and medical applications, the harmful effects of exposure to UV radiation usually far outweigh its benefits. In addition to the well-known short-term effects of overexposure to the sun such as sunburn or allergic reactions, long-term effects pose a life-long hazard to your health.

How are UVB rays harmful to the human body?

UVB rays cause sunburns, skin cancer, skin aging, and snow blindness (a sunburn to your cornea that causes a temporary loss of vision) and can lower your body’s ability to fight illness. UVC rays do not reach the Earth’s surface because they are completely absorbed by the atmosphere.

What kind of cancers are caused by ultraviolet radiation?

Skin cancers most commonly produced by ultraviolet radiation are basal and squamous cell carcinomas. There also is much circumstantial evidence that the increase in the incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma during the past half century is related to increased sun exposure, but this has not been proved.