' J -/-//-/J -J J
That's what you're doing when
you don't cover up in the sun.
Here's what you
can do:
Avoid Sun Tanning and
Tanning Beds
Generously Apply Sunscreen
Wear Protective Clothing,
Including a Hat, Sunglasses and
Full-Length Clothing
Seek Shade
Use Extra Caution Near Water, Snow
and Sand
Watch for the UV Index
Get Vitamin D Safely
Early detection of melanoma can save your life.
Carefully examine ALL of your skin once a month. A
new or changing mole in an adult should be evaluated by
a dermatologist.
Don't Wait 'Til It's Too Late -
Be SunWise NOW
&EFW
Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on '
Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
i Postconsumer, Process
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Air and Radiation
(6205J)
EPA 430-H-06-001
September 2006
www.epa.gov/sunwise
Hello Family!
Did you know
... that much of your child's lifetime
sun exposure can occur before he or she
graduates from high school?
... that any change in the natural color of your
child's skin after time outside indicates damage
from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays?
... that all people, regardless of skin or eye color,
are equally at risk for eye damage from overexpo-
sure to the sun?
The Environmental Protection Agency's SunWise Program needs you to help reinforce the important sun safety mes-
sages your child is learning in school. You can help your son or daughter learn the difference between being
SunWise and SunFoolish by...
:&- Being SunWise yourself! Children learn from the behavior you model.
--
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SunWise SunScramble
Unscramble the circled letters to find the SunWise word:
Cross Word Puzzle Clues
ACROSS:
i. Overexposure to the sun can cause skin
cancer, eye damage, and these
2. UV stands for .
3. A natural source of sun protection
4. Naturally occurring gas that is found in
two layers of the atmosphere
5. Type of dangerous ultraviolet radiation
associated with sunlamps in tanning parlors
DOWN:
i. The gas from CFCs that attacks ozone
2. EPA school program that promotes sun safety
3. may reduce UV levels, but
not completely
4. Eye damage that occurs as a result of
sun overexposure
5. The most serious form of skin cancer
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Are you SunWise or SunFoolish?
TRUE OR FALSE?
i. The thicker the ozone layer, the more it protects us from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. .
2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are chemicals that are eating away at the ozone layer
3. Ozone layer damage is permanent
4. Sun protection isn't needed on cloudy days because clouds block ultraviolet rays
5. I can get a safe tan in a tanning parlor
6. Early morning and late afternoons are the worst times for exposure to UV rays
7. UV rays are blocked by cold weather
8. African Americans and Latinos don't need to worry about sun damage to their skin. . .
9. UV rays can damage your eyes
10. A blistering sunburn when you're young can greatly increase your risk of skin cancer. . .
n. You should always choose sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or greater
12. The key to protecting your skin and eyes is to keep them covered
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10-12 points:
YOU'RE SUNWISE! Make sure you use
your "SunWisdom" when you're outside!
6-9 points:
YOU'RE SUN-SO-SO. You know some of
the basics, but need some brushing up.
0-5 points:
YOU'RE SUNFOOLISH. Watch out-
what you don't know CAN hurt you!
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Sun Wise Facts
How Can Too Much Sun Harm You?
It's fun to play in the sun, but did you know that too much sun can be dangerous?
If you've ever had a painful sunburn, you've experienced one of the harmful effects of
overexposure to the sun's ULTRAVIOLET (UV) RADIATION.
In addition to causing premature and excessive wrinkling of the skin, overexposure to UV
can cause more serious health effects, too, such as skin cancer and eye damage, including
cataracts.
Young people are particularly at risk if appropriate precautions are not taken, because much
of the average person's lifetime exposure can occur before the age of 18.
The good news is that UV-related health effects are largely preventable by establishing sun pro-
tection habits while you're young and staying sun-safe throughout your life.
Why Is Being SunWise Even More Important
Now Than When Your Parents Were Your Age?
To answer this question, you need to know a little about the earth's
environment.
The OZONE layer is a thin shield in the atmosphere that protects us
from the sun. It wraps all the way around the Earth, and can be found
about 6 to 30 miles straight up.
As long as humans have been on Earth, the OZONE layer has blocked
much of the sun's dangerous UV rays from reaching us, and it continues
to keep most UV RADIATION from harming life on the planet.
The ozone layer's biggest enemies are chemicals used in air condi-
tioners, refrigerators, and other common products. The
CHLORINE or BROMINE in these chemicals eats away at the
ozone layer. As the OZONE layer gets thinner, more and more
harmful UV RAYS reach the Earth's surface. That's not only
bad for humans, but also for plants and animals. It can cause
a chain reaction among many things that live and breathe in the
oceans or on land: if tiny fish and plants that are on the bottom of the
food chain are destroyed or damaged by the UV RADIATION, bigger
fish and animals that rely on these smaller things for food could starve
and die, too.
Humans are taking steps to reduce the amount of ozone-depleting chemi-
cals that leak into the atmosphere. This should help "repair" the ozone layer, but unfor-
tunately that could take years. In the meantime, the OZONE LAYER is thinner, and
more harmful UV RAYS are reaching you than when your parents were your age.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Don't Wait 'Til It's Too Late
- Be SunWise Now!
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