UV Radiation vital
Nov 20, 2005
Limited Ultra Violet radiation (UVR) is good for your health, says Dr Florence Mutonyi, head of physics department Makerere University, reports <b>Timothy Makokha</b>.
Limited Ultra Violet radiation (UVR) is good for your health, says Dr Florence Mutonyi, head of physics department Makerere University, reports Timothy Makokha.
Mutonyi, speaking during the celebration to mark the International Year of Physics at the university recently, said UVR is essential in the production of vitamin D and is also used in the treatment of several diseases, including rickets, psoriasis and eczema.
Mutonyi, however, warns that prolonged human exposure to UVR may result in acute effects on the skin, eye and immune system. “In communities of light-skinned people, intensive sunbathing is considered normal. The best-known acute effect of excessive UVR exposure is the familiar skin reddening termed sunburn or tanning,†she wrote.
She says even though the incidence of skin cancer is lower in dark-skinned people, they remain susceptible to the damaging effects of UVR, especially to the effects on the eye and immune system. WHO estimates that up to 20% of blindness cases may be a result of exposure to the sun, especially for countries close to the equator. Research suggests over exposure to UVR may enhance the risk of infectious diseases and limit the efficacy of vaccinations.
Ends
Mutonyi, speaking during the celebration to mark the International Year of Physics at the university recently, said UVR is essential in the production of vitamin D and is also used in the treatment of several diseases, including rickets, psoriasis and eczema.
Mutonyi, however, warns that prolonged human exposure to UVR may result in acute effects on the skin, eye and immune system. “In communities of light-skinned people, intensive sunbathing is considered normal. The best-known acute effect of excessive UVR exposure is the familiar skin reddening termed sunburn or tanning,†she wrote.
She says even though the incidence of skin cancer is lower in dark-skinned people, they remain susceptible to the damaging effects of UVR, especially to the effects on the eye and immune system. WHO estimates that up to 20% of blindness cases may be a result of exposure to the sun, especially for countries close to the equator. Research suggests over exposure to UVR may enhance the risk of infectious diseases and limit the efficacy of vaccinations.
Ends