UV radiation and the UV index

UV radiation

The sun is a huge ball of energy that has a great influence on life on our earth. It provides warmth, light and a good mood. Only part of the radiation that the sun emits reaches the earth. And a large part of this is swallowed up or weakened by our atmosphere.

Ultraviolet radiation is part of the sun's rays that reach the earth. About ten percent of that, roughly. A distinction is made between UVA, UVB and UVC radiation. The latter is the most energetic, but for us the least relevant radiation, as it is largely filtered by the atmosphere and the oxygen in the air. The UVB rays are short-wave and only penetrate the upper layers of the skin. It is they who cause sunburn. The ozone layer was actually supposed to filter most of these rays for us, but people have really added to the ozone layer. The UVB rays accelerate skin aging and can cause skin cancer.

The long-wave UVA rays penetrate the deeper layers of our skin. They are responsible for tanning and also cause our skin to age. For a long time it was believed that they had no negative effects. However, more recent studies suggest that they too have a major influence on whether we develop skin cancer.

That tells you how high the current UV index is Federal Office of Public Health on his homepage.

This is what the UV index says

To put it simply: the UV index shows us how quickly we get sunburn. A higher value stands for stronger UV radiation - the probability that our skin will be damaged after a short time in the sun. However, this does not mean that lower values are harmless, but only that we can then move longer unprotected in the sun. The dose of UV radiation adds up, that means: Anyone who stays in moderate UV areas for a long time without protection can get sunburn as well as someone who is exposed to very strong radiation for a short time.

So the UV index helps us to better assess the sun and to protect us sensibly.