Body’s shadow can indicate sun’s ultra violet risk

BERLIN - The lower the sun is in the sky, the less harmful its ultra violet rays are for the body’s skin, according to Professor Hans Meffert writing in the German medical journal, Aktuelle Dermatologie.

By (DPA)

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Published: Mon 9 Mar 2009, 11:12 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 8:44 AM

The intensity of the ultra violet rays can be assessed by comparing the body with the length of the shadow cast by the sun, Meffert added.

Ultra violet rays pose a small risk to skin type II, which is common in the Northern Hemisphere, when your shadow is approximately a third longer than your body.

If your shadow is shorter than your body-length, you must protect your skin with extra clothing, sun cream or by moving into the shade.

Meffert believes the advantage of this method of judging the risk posed by the sun is that the relationship between shadow-length and ultra violet intensity is independent of the season, the time of day and geographical location.


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