- The UV Index is produced at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
- The UV index takes into account how much UV radiation of different wavelengths is around and how each of those wavelengths affects our skin.
- UV-A and UV-B both contribute to skin damage, ageing and skin cancer. But UV-B is the more dangerous: it is the major cause of sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer.
- Most skin cancers are caused by exposure to UV radiation from the sun.
- In 2002, the World Health Organisation devised the UV index in an effort to make people around the world more aware of the risks. The index boils down several factors into a single number that gives you an idea of how careful you need to be in the sun. A score of 1 or 2 is low, 3 to 5 is moderate, 6 or 7 is high, 8 to 10 is very high, and 11 and above is extreme.
What is UV radiation?
- The ultraviolet or UV radiation is sunlight with wavelengths too short for our eyes to see, from around 400 nanometres to 10 nanometres.
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