The burning issue
August 1st 2007 With skin cancer now one of the most common cancers in the UK and incidence of the disease rising rapidly, providing adequate sun protection for staff who work outside is a must, explains Ultrasun's Val Graphter Everyone enjoys the sun but when employees are working outside, it is important that you help them to take care and protect themselves against the harmful effects of UV rays. The strongest of these rays are filtered by the ozone layer but, as this layer is now less effective, more radiation, in the form of Ultra Violet (UV), now reaches the Earth. Our skin is damaged when we stay in the sun too long. Sunburn is our body's chemical response to over-exposure to UV rays. Without protection, invisible UV rays can penetrate deep into the skin damaging the cells. This radiation damages the nucleus of your skin cells without us feeling anything. Sunburn is not like a normal heat burn. When you get sunburnt, the top layers of the skin release chemicals that cause your blood vessels to swell and leak fluids. This causes inflammation, pain and redness. Skin becomes hot and painful, and severe sunburn can cause swelling and blisters. There are two types of UV rays that damage our skin: UVA and UVB. UVB radiation penetrates the top layers of the skin, the epidermis, and can cause sunburn and skin cancer. UVA radiation penetrates deeper into the skin, affecting elastin and causing skin to age which can lead to skin damage and skin cancer. Until recently, UVA was thought not to have a role in skin cancer development. But increasing evidence shows that UVA and UVB both cause damage to DNA, which can lead to skin cancer. It's easy to burn when you least expect it as we often forget how strong the sun can be. The sun does not need to feel hot to damage our skin. The heat in the sun comes from infra-red rays, not UV rays - so you can still burn on cool days. A summer's day at 12.00 noon is the most dangerous time for people to expose themselves to the sun because the rays are more intense while the sun is directly overhead. The consequences of not protecting staff's skin against the UV rays is frightening. Incidence of skin cancer has tripled since the early 1980s and 2,300 die from skin cancer each year. All organisations who have workers outside should be educating and offering facilities to look after their colleagues. More articles from Ultrasun (UK) Limited: | 
