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Sun Sense

In hot, humid weather, be alert to the threat of too much sun. Good judgment and some simple precautions will help avoid possible dangers related to the heat. The heat of the sun can cause illnesses that range from unpleasant feelings to life-threatening heat stroke.

The risk of heat illness is present when the heat index is 100 °F or more: the temperature is above 90 °F and the humidity is above 60 percent. When the heat index is this high, several illnesses such as heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion are possible with physical activity or prolonged exposure. The heat may overcome the body's ability to regulate internal body temperature at a safe level. Some of the signs of heat illness include nausea, weakness, fainting, and pale, clammy skin. A warning signal before heat illness occurs may be red, dry skin. Prompt action can prevent the most serious heat illness -- heat stroke -- which is fatal 50 percent of the time.

First Aid for Heat Illness

To provide first aid for heat illness: stop activity, improve air circulation with a fan or air conditioner, and sponge the body with cool water. A conscious person should be given sips of cold, diluted fruit juice, sports drink, or water. Heat illness is an emergency situation and requires medical care!

How To Prevent Heat Illness

During hot weather, the following tips can prevent heat illness:
  • Avoid heavy physical exertion in the middle of the day.
  • Exercise less intensely.
  • Wear light-colored, freshly laundered cotton clothing to reflect heat and allow air to circulate around the body.
  • Drink at least 8 ounces of water or diluted fruit juice each hour. Alcohol and beverages with caffeine don't count.
  • Wear a broad-brimmed hat in the sun.
  • When in a closed space such as a car or house without air conditioning, open windows for ventilation.
For at least 20 years, scientists and organizations devoted to protection of human health have encouraged people to avoid intense exposure to the hot sun. The price for exposure to the sun's ultraviolet light may be the following:

SKIN CANCER * CATARACTS
PREMATURE AGING * BURNS
LESS IMMUNITY TO ILLNESS

Is There a Safe Type of Ultraviolet Light?

The spectrum of light includes several types of ultraviolet rays that are a form of radiation. The amount of radiation exposure over a lifetime is a risk for those exposed to the sun through outdoor recreation, occupation, or cosmetic tanning. Full-spectrum sunlight, the way most of us "catch a few rays," includes both ultraviolet A and B light (UVA and UVB), which cause tanning and burning of the skin.

Tanning beds and lamps used in salons primarily deliver ultraviolet A light (UVA) and are less likely to produce obvious burning of the skin. UVA light is not safer than sunlight or safer than UVB, and it carries the same risks as other types of ultraviolet sunlight. However, since UVA radiation goes deeper into and beneath the skin, its effects may not be as apparent until damage is done.

How Much Exposure Is Too Much?

Some people are at higher risk for serious effects of ultraviolet exposure. Persons who have a family member with cataracts or skin cancer are considered to be at risk for those conditions. A fairer complexion increases the risk, but excessive ultraviolet light can cause problems in all skin types depending on the degree of exposure. Generally, if sun causes any redness or discomfort, it is too much exposure.

Certain medications and medicated soaps and creams may combine with the effects of sunlight to cause intense itching, skin burns, rashes, and swelling. These medications include, but are not limited to, some birth control pills, many antibiotics, high blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, tranquilizers, and diabetes medications, and especially the psoralen class of drugs used to treat some skin disorders such as psoriasis. Discuss the risks of any medications you are taking with your doctor and pharmacist.

Protection From Ultraviolet Light

Follow these guidelines to avoid excessive exposure to ultraviolet light:
  • Sunscreen lotions and creams with skin protection factor 15-30, which are labeled as effective in screening UVA and UVB, provide good protection when applied as directed. Reapply more often to nose, feet, earlobes, and bald spots. The sports formulas are more enduring on spots with heavy perspiration.
  • Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. as much as possible.
  • Hats and tightly woven clothing protect the shielded body areas from exposure. A broad-brimmed hat (3- to 4-inch brim) provides protection of the face and neck.
  • Check labels for sunglasses that block most of UVA and UVB light.

Early Detection of Skin Cancers

Although the long-term effect of too much sun exposure is not completely predictable, the damage may show up as one of three types of skin cancer: basal cell, squamous cell, or malignant melanoma. The risk of developing one of these cancers increases with each episode of sunburn throughout life. Knowing how to spot these cancers early can lead to timely, effective treatment...but to spot the cancers it is necessary to check the skin all over the body once a month. When checking your skin for cancer, look for fleshy bumps that bleed, scab over, and heal in cycles; scaly patches of skin; and moles that appear suddenly or begin to grow and change color.

Melanoma is the most severe form of skin cancer, and it is the one most likely to spread to other parts of the body. The American Academy of Dermatology has developed warning signs of melanoma:

The ABCD's of Melanoma

Asymmetry
One half of your "mole" does not look like the other half.
Border: Irregular
The border of your "mole" is scalloped or poorly defined.
Color: Varied
The colors within your "mole" vary. There may be shades of tan and brown; black; and sometimes red, white, or blue.
Diameter
Your "mole" is larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser (6 millimeters).
The ill effects of the sun are almost totally preventable. Precautions may seem unnecessary and inconvenient, but they are well worth the effort in the long run.

By Linda Patterson, R.N., M.S.N., Extension Health Education Specialist

Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

Information Sheet 1524
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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