June is Sun Safety Month!
megabeln
Posts: 36 Member
What’s the largest organ in the human body? Let’s see… the lungs? The brain? The liver? Oh, it’s hard to remember what all those organs are because they’re all so well hidden—safely tucked away where they can’t be damaged except by what we might choose to put inside our bodies. But wait—the largest organ is one we look at in the mirror every day, right out there in the open where we can see it.
Your skin.
Yep, your skin is an organ—the only one that’s affected not just by what you put IN your body, but also by what you let touch the outside of your body. So, tell me: how well do you think your lungs or kidneys or liver would do out in the summer sun? If you could, would you slap them out there in the sun all day? No? Think they might dry up and stop functioning very well? You’re right, they would—and your skin is no different.
Even ancient Greek mythology talks about the dangers of too much sun. Icarus and his dad made some wings out of feathers and wax and, while dad warned hotheaded young Icarus not to fly too close to the sun—like most sons, he ignored his dad and flew higher and higher, getting more and more sun until the wax in his wings melted and he dropped into the sea and drowned.
The sun presents dangers to two organs—our skin and our brain. The danger to our skin begins with sunburn, and the danger to our brain begins with overheating. Taking care of yourself in the sun and heat is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of intelligence. You’re no fun for your family if you get sunburned, you’re no help to your work team if you let yourself get sick from the heat, and you’re no good to anyone if you join Icarus by ignoring the warnings and flying too close to the sun.
When you are in the sun, try these:
• Wear a hat—ideally one with a 4-inch brim that will shade your face and neck.
• Wear a neckerchief to protect the back of your neck.
• Wear long sleeves—preferably a material dark enough so you can’t see your hand through it.
• Apply sunscreen and lip balm with SPF of 15 or higher to all exposed areas of your skin, at least between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.—or when your shadow is shorter than you are. (Hazy and overcast days, when you can’t see your shadow, are no exception.)
• Wear sunglasses with 99% to 100% UV absorption to protect your eyes from sunburn.
• Check the UV index at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html. Issued by the National Weather Service and the Environmental Protection Agency every day, the index indicates the level of dangerous UV rays. It usually ranges between 2 and 11, and an index above 5 is considered high.
Your skin.
Yep, your skin is an organ—the only one that’s affected not just by what you put IN your body, but also by what you let touch the outside of your body. So, tell me: how well do you think your lungs or kidneys or liver would do out in the summer sun? If you could, would you slap them out there in the sun all day? No? Think they might dry up and stop functioning very well? You’re right, they would—and your skin is no different.
Even ancient Greek mythology talks about the dangers of too much sun. Icarus and his dad made some wings out of feathers and wax and, while dad warned hotheaded young Icarus not to fly too close to the sun—like most sons, he ignored his dad and flew higher and higher, getting more and more sun until the wax in his wings melted and he dropped into the sea and drowned.
The sun presents dangers to two organs—our skin and our brain. The danger to our skin begins with sunburn, and the danger to our brain begins with overheating. Taking care of yourself in the sun and heat is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of intelligence. You’re no fun for your family if you get sunburned, you’re no help to your work team if you let yourself get sick from the heat, and you’re no good to anyone if you join Icarus by ignoring the warnings and flying too close to the sun.
When you are in the sun, try these:
• Wear a hat—ideally one with a 4-inch brim that will shade your face and neck.
• Wear a neckerchief to protect the back of your neck.
• Wear long sleeves—preferably a material dark enough so you can’t see your hand through it.
• Apply sunscreen and lip balm with SPF of 15 or higher to all exposed areas of your skin, at least between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.—or when your shadow is shorter than you are. (Hazy and overcast days, when you can’t see your shadow, are no exception.)
• Wear sunglasses with 99% to 100% UV absorption to protect your eyes from sunburn.
• Check the UV index at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html. Issued by the National Weather Service and the Environmental Protection Agency every day, the index indicates the level of dangerous UV rays. It usually ranges between 2 and 11, and an index above 5 is considered high.
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