Environmental Health Center

EnvironMinute Health Scripts

It's not just something to worry about at the beach. The sun's rays can damage your skin at any time of the year. A little sun goes a long way on today's EnvironMinute. [:10]

It's called incidental sun exposure. That's the sun you get when you do things like drive a car, take a walk, or look out a window. That exposure includes sunlight that passes through glass and plastic. These materials protect you from the sun's more harmful UVB rays. But they can't block the less damaging but more abundant UVA rays. A recent study by Johnson & Johnson — a company that makes skin care products — says you get nineteen hours of incidental sun each week. It's not intense exposure, but most peopel get lots of it. Each exposure contributes to aging, wrinkling, and even skin cancer. No matter what the season, be aware of your time in the sun.[:38]

The EnvironMinute is produced in cooperation with the National Safety Council and made possible by the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation. [:10]

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