Washing
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES -used to make shirts look whiter than white in daylight.
ULTRAVIOLET RAYS
Ultraviolet is an EM radiation with wavelength shorter
than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays.
Ultraviolet simply means "beyond light", in this case the
visible type that us humans can see.
It is also called "black light" due to it being invisible.
Our main source of UV radiation is the sun, but there are
also artificial sources of UV radiation. It is also
produced by electric arcs and specialized lights, such as
mercury vapor lamp, black light, tanning lamp
UVA rays- age skin cells and can damage their DNA
-these rays are linked to long-term skin damage such as
wrinkles, but they are also thought to play a role in some
skin cancers
UVB rays- have slightly more energy than UVA rays
-they can damage skin cells’ DNA directly, and are the
main rays that cause sunburns.
UVC rays- have more energy than the other types of UV
rays, but they don’t get through our atmosphere and are
not in sunlight
DISCOVERY
-1801
-Johann Wilhelm Ritter
(German Physicist)
-conducted an experiment to
investigate the existence of
energy beyond the violet end of
the visible spectrum.
- he called the “oxidizing rays”
to emphasize chemical reactivity
and to distinguish them from heat waves.
There are various uses of UV Rays
Counterfeit
-sensitive documents include UV watermark that is only
seen under UV-emitting light.
Crime Investigation
-used to locate body fluids just like semen and saliva.
Sterilizing Water
-used in sterilizing water for it kills living cells.
Health
-produces vitamin D and gives tanning effect.
HAZARDS
Sunburn (erythema)
-is redness of the skin, which is due to increased blood
flow in the skin caused by dilatation of the superficial
blood vessels in the dermis as a result of exposure to UV
radiation
Tanning
- refers to delayed pigmentation of the skin, or melanin
pigmentation
Premature aging of the skin
- encompasses a number of clinical signs that reflect
structural changes in the dermis
Eye problems
- Corneal damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration
are all possible chronic effects from UV exposure and
can ultimately lead to blindness
- Melanoma, a type of skin cancer, can also develop
within the eye
Suppression of the immune system
- resulting from exposure to UV radiation is believed to
be an important contributor to the development of non-
melanoma skin cancers
Skin cancer
- exposure to UV radiation is thought to be an important
factor for cancers as it induces DNA damage
UVA rays- Most tanning beds give off large amounts of
UVA, which has been found to increase skin cancer risk.
UVB rays- They can damage skin cells’ DNA directly,
and are the main rays that cause sunburns. They are also
thought to cause most skin cancers.
UVC rays- They are not normally a cause of skin cancer
for they cannot reach our atmosphere.
UV 2019- PCSHS