THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 12, 1994 TAG: 9407120308
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Baking, broiling or frying: That's what you can avoid doing to your skin if you follow the Ultraviolet Index that will be published on the weather page of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star beginning today. The index, compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Weather Service, will run from 0 to 10-plus to indicate average sunburn risk for the day.
The higher the number, the more quickly skin will burn if left unprotected by clothing or sunscreen lotion. The index is calculated for an ``average'' skin type, defined as somewhere between skin that usually burns and that which sometimes burns.
When the UV index hits 10, an average person's bare skin will redden in about 10 minutes. At a reading of 0 to 2, it would take a full hour.
In creating the scale, developers take into account the sun's angle, cloud cover, elevation above sea level and the presence of low-level ozone, a hazy pollutant that can affect sunlight intensity.
The Hampton Roads index is figured with Norfolk as the center of a circle with a 30-mile radius. The index won't necessarily hold for localities farther afield.
Experts say sun worshipers should use the index as a guide rather than as gospel. Reflected sunlight puts oceanside beach loungers at more risk than, say, lunchtime strollers in downtown Norfolk.
A low index is no guarantee against sunburn. Even on an overcast day, an unprotected sunbather can get badly burned in an hour or two.
``When you give something a number and apply it to the general population, it's easily abused,'' said John J. DiGiovanna, a dermatologist and researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. ``Used as a general guideline, it could be helpful. People shouldn't get a false sense of security.''
The American love affair with tanned skin continues, despite warnings that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation leads to premature skin aging and skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the fastest-growing category of cancers in the United States. In 1935, the chances of contracting it were 1 in 1,500. By the year 2000, the chance will be 1 in 90.
``We're trying to make the public aware that the sun can be damaging,'' said Barbara Bewerse, coordinator of skin cancer prevention and control for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. ``If (this index) proves to be effective, then it could be a nice way.''
The CDC will help the Weather Service and the EPA evaluate the effectiveness of the still-experimental index.
On Monday, Honolulu topped the UV chart with an 11, followed by Phoenix with a 10. Residents got a reprieve in Anchorage, Alaska, where the index was a relatively shady 3. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
Sixteen-year-old Molly Hutton of Norfolk suns herself Monday
afternoon near 14th Street along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
by CNB