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!
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.
P: Plague
Q: Quasar Explosion
R: Rockfall
S: Solar Flare and Sinkhole
T: Tornado and Tsunami
U: Ultraviolet Radiation
Q: Quasar Explosion
R: Rockfall
S: Solar Flare and Sinkhole
T: Tornado and Tsunami
U: Ultraviolet Radiation
 |
| I'm a member of Tremp's Troops! |
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.
ReplyDeletePeople with lighter skin do have more issues with the sun. I'm one of them.
DeleteThank you for your posts... it has been an eye opener and some closing...
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jeremy! And thank you for the comment. :)
DeleteI agree with Jeremy it has certainly been an eye openr has to what is going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great Post.
Yvonne.
Thank you, Yvonne!
DeleteI'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! :)
ReplyDeleteYou and are sound the same. lol
DeleteThank you!!! :)
How weird it would be to see ultraviolet.
ReplyDeleteI am not a sun person. I burn really fast.
That would be weird.
DeleteI burn very fast too.
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!
ReplyDeleteI had to think hard for this one. I'm not a redhead but can you pass that SPF 100+ to me? ;P
DeleteHi 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.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the sun ... and try and remember to be careful ... ours is windburn too .. not a nice way to go ... cheers Hilary
Ultraviolet does have it's purposes, but like most anything else, too much is not a good thing.
DeleteWindburn...ouch!
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. .
ReplyDeleteGosh, I wouldn't do well in New Zealand then. :(
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
DeleteI burn pretty easily so I don't spend too much time out in the sun without lots and lots of sunblock.
ReplyDeleteI am the same.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteCongrats 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/
Haha! That made me laugh. I'm not Irish, but I do the same thing. People like to joke that I'm a vampire.
DeleteThank you so much, Timothy! I hope you enjoy it! :)
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.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good way to put it...the slow moving disaster.
DeleteI 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?
ReplyDeleteHow 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
DeleteWe should do a one week house swap next winter. Ha! You could enjoy the rain ;)
DeleteI like rain! :D Just not thunderstorms or floods. haha
DeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
My skin is the same way. I burn and then go back to ghostly white. :P
DeleteI hide away, being a hermit and a writer the sun doesn't see me much lol
ReplyDeleteI'm a hermit too. :)
Deletewow 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.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how anyone can like using tanning beds. Even if I liked to tan, I wouldn't do in one.
DeleteBright 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
I wear my sunglasses all the time too. Even on cloudy days.
DeleteEw! Who wants wrinkles at a young age?
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. :(
ReplyDeleteAs 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.
DeleteMy skin is way too pasty white to enjoy the sun for more than a few hours and even then that's pushing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only pasty person out there. We should make a club. :P
DeleteYES! And eat Pasta at the same time.
DeleteThe Tasty, Pasty Pasta Club!
I love pasta! That sounds like my kind of club. :D
DeleteWhen 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.
ReplyDeleteMy mom tanned all the time too and used baby oil. She still loves to tan.
DeleteI'm not a sun person, either. I burn very easily, so I cover up and wear lots of sunscreen.
ReplyDeleteSame here.
DeleteExcellent 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. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOuch! That sounds really painful.
DeleteI can't say that I'd appreciate being burnt to a crisp.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/
I don't think any of us would. :P
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
I visited Michigan to see my dad in February years ago and it was very overcast with heavy winter clouds.
DeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you have an auto-immune disease. :(
DeleteI always feel like a vampire. :P
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.
ReplyDeleteThe Core is a cool, intense movie.
DeleteI often forget the sun protection. Tomorrow my son and I are going skiing again. I'll try to remember the sunscreen
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
Good idea! Even in the winter or snowy places the sun can still burn.
DeleteNo 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.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why anyone would want to tan so much. It doesn't loot natural.
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
DeleteI love the sun, but I'm always careful. I used to work for a cancer foundation.
ReplyDeleteYou worked with a cancer foundation? That's awesome!
DeleteI think tanning beds should be banned. Kids use them and don't realize how bad they are.
ReplyDeleteI think they should be banned too. They have been proved not to be healthy.
DeleteA 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!
ReplyDeleteI'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.
DeleteTotally 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.
ReplyDeleteSo it seems you can't worship it as much as you would. I guess that it a good thing. :)
DeleteYeah, 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.
ReplyDeleteI need to get myself a big hat. :D
DeleteAs 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.
ReplyDeleteThat's very smart, Susan!
DeleteThe 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. . .
ReplyDeleteIt is really hot in Florida now. The sun is a lot hotter here now than when I was a kid. That's for sure!
DeleteWow, 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.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Mueller
AtoZ 2015
My Little Pony
It would probably be trippy. lol
DeleteSee 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.
ReplyDeleteFun, huh?
Eek! Not fun at all. I did know that about bluelight.
DeleteThe 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.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand it either.
DeleteI 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"I do not like the sun unless I am looking at a sunny day from inside." Ha! I love that! :P
DeleteI'm not a sun person. Some people are even allergic to it!
ReplyDeleteThat'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.
DeleteI live in Nigeria, and it's always sunny. I have so gotten used to the heat, I run from the cold instead lol.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who run from the cold. ;)
DeleteIt 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.
ReplyDelete117F? Oh no, I could not deal with that.
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteMy 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.
DeleteWe 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.
ReplyDeleteIt sure would be.
DeleteI'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!
ReplyDeleteInventions by Women A-Z
Shells–Tales–Sails
My mom used that baby oil but she does not believe in sunscreen.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteSean at His and Hobbies
Really? I wonder if it's better than the sunscreen I use.
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteAnother 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/
Ouch! That sounds painful.
DeleteThanks for the tip, Sunni!
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
ReplyDeleteIt seems we are all paying the price for our sun-loving youth.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeletebetty
Baby oil has been mentioned quite a few times in the comments here. I used it maybe once or twice. But never again.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteWriters do tend to be hermits. ;)
DeleteI 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 ;)
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
My skin doesn't tan either. It used to, but now it refuses. :P
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteSometimes 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.
DeleteIt 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.
ReplyDeleteJulie
It is tough. I always say I'll move somewhere where it doesn't get so hot. lol
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteAnd it'll only get stronger, unfortunately.
Delete