Sun protection - SunSmart UV

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Sun protection home

What is UV?
Ultra-violet (UV) radiation is radiation emitted by the sun and is divided into three sub-sections:
UVA
UV B
UVC
The earth's atmosphere blocks all UVC radiation and all but a small amount of UVB, so the ultra-violet radiation at the earth's surface is mostly UVA and UVB. UVB is the most harmful for humans.

The SunSmart UV Alert
The SunSmart UV Alert is reported daily in newspaper weather forecasts across Australia . The alert is used to raise public awareness of the risk of exposure to UV radiation and to encourage people to adopt appropriate sun protection measures.

For best protection from the sun, a combination of sun protection measures is recommended, including:
Seek shade
Wear protective clothing that covers the arms and legs as well as the body
Wear a broad-brimmed hat that shades the face and neck
Wear wrap around sunglasses
Use SPF30+ broad spectrum sunscreen and reapply every two hours

Regularly check the SunSmart UV Alert
The SunSmart UV Alert is issued when the UV Index forecast for the day is 3 or above, which can apply to most days. When the UV Index reaches 3 or above, skin damage and particularly sunburn can occur and the risk of skin cancer increases, so sun protection is needed.

The alert identifies the times during the day that the UV index will reach 3 or above, so people know when to adopt sun protection measures.

How the UV forecast developed
The Bureau of Meteorology issues the UV Index forecast that provides the information for the SunSmart UV Alert for capital cities and major towns across Australia . The UV rating system used by BOM is adapted from the World Health Organization Global Solar UV Index.

Different forecasts for different parts of Australia
UV levels are largely determined by latitude, cloud cover, time of year and time of day, so the UV index can change each day and is different for each month and each season. Tasmanians should check the UV Index regularly to see when they need to adopt effective sun protection behaviours.

More information about the UV Index
Bureau of Meteorology www.bom.gov.au/info/about_uvb.shtml
World Health Organization www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs271/en
Australia Radiation Protection And Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA):
www.arpansa.gov.au/uvrg/rginfo_p2.html
www.arpansa.gov.au/uvindex/daily/ausuvindex.htm
The Cancer Council Helpline 13 11 20