News 22.5.2018

Special caution should be taken from the start of the summer with UV radiation

FMI makes daily ozone and UV radiation measurements and would like to remind everyone that, as before, they should protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation during the summer.
Photo: Shutterstock

"When people peel off their winter clothing in the spring, their skin is sensitive to burning. After the winter, the skin is at its thinnest, and the covering of clothing has shielded the skin from the sun's radiation for a long time. This all has an effect on the skin's sensitivity to burning", explains Finnish Meteorological Institute Researcher Anu Heikkilä.

"When the skin burns, the DNA of the skin cells closest to the surface is damaged. The skin dies, but the memory of the burn remains in the deeper skin cells. All human cells have memory. UV radiation and burning are a real risk: repeated burning in particular has been found to be a significant factor in the development of skin melanoma", Anu Heikkilä adds.

Protection from UV radiation should be applied if the UV index is 3 or higher

The strength of UV radiation is measured using the UV index (UVI). The main factor affecting the index is the height of the sun, which depends on both the season and the time-of-day. Other factors include cloud cover, altitude, reflectivity of the sea or land terrain, and ozone levels in the atmosphere. People should protect themselves from UV radiation once the index reaches 3. Using the Finnish Meteorological Institute's UVI service, one can check the day's UV index forecast for over 60 locations around the world.

More information:

Researcher Kaisa Lakkala, tel. +358 40 747 6792, kaisa.lakkala@fmi.fi

Researcher Anu Heikkilä, tel. +358 29 539 4151, anu.heikkila@fmi.fi

http://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/uv-index