The SunSmart World UV App, is the collective brainchild of the World Well being Group (WHO), the Worldwide Labour Group (ILO), the World Meteorological Group (WMO) and the UN Surroundings Programme (UNEP).
5-day forecast
“The SunSmart World UV App offers five-day UV and climate forecasts at searchable areas”, mentioned Carla Drysdale, spokesperson for WHO.
Whereas talking at present at a briefing on the United Nations in Geneva, Ms. Drysdale added that “it highlights time slots when solar safety is required and goals to assist individuals all over the world know when to make use of solar safety, in an effort to scale back the worldwide burden of pores and skin most cancers and UV-related eye harm”.
Developed by Australia’s Most cancers Council Victoria and the Australian Radiation Safety and Nuclear Security Company, the app relies on the UV Index, which signifies the extent of photo voltaic UV radiation on the earth’s floor.
The UV Index makes use of a scale of 1 (or Low) to 11 and better (or Excessive). The upper the index worth, the higher the potential for harm to the pores and skin and eyes, and the much less time it takes for hurt to happen.
120,000 lives misplaced in 2020
“Globally, it’s estimated that over 1.5 million circumstances of pores and skin most cancers, that’s melanoma and non-melanoma mixed, had been identified globally in 2020”, Ms. Drysdale mentioned.
“Throughout the identical interval, greater than 120,000 individuals the world over misplaced their lives to this extremely preventable illness”.
A lot of UV-related sickness and dying could be averted by a set of easy prevention measures resembling limiting time within the noon solar, in search of shade when UV rays are most intense, and sporting protecting clothes, hats and sun shades – in addition to using sunscreen.
Helpful for work and play
“This app combines meteorological, environmental and well being experience to assist shield individuals from the solar each at work and of their leisure” mentioned WMO Secretary-Common Professor Petteri Tallas. It’s distinctive as a result of it makes use of knowledge from country-level climate and UV measuring stations to offer correct and location-specific UV Index readings…It’s a nice instance of science serving society.”
Vera Paquete-Perdigão, Director of the ILO’s Governance and Tripartism, Division, mentioned the app was “a great tool to help corporations and employees in figuring out hazardous work, and planning security and well being measures.”
And talking for UNEP on launch day, Meg Seki, Govt Secretary of UNEP’s Ozone Secretariat, famous that the extremely efficient Montreal Protocol, protects the stratospheric ozone layer which, in flip, protects human well being and the surroundings by blocking out most of solar’s dangerous ultraviolet radiation.
“Pores and skin most cancers may result from overexposure to the solar, so it’s crucial for everybody to stay vigilant and guarantee they shield themselves adequately with hats and sunscreen. The SunSmart App is a incredible UV monitoring software, and I might encourage everybody to make use of it.”
Northern publicity
In response to WMO’s spokesperson Clare Nullis “it’s now the interval of the 12 months when UV radiation is at its most in Europe, within the northern hemisphere”.
“That is due to the place of the solar within the sky”, she added. “There are different components that affect the quantity of UV, which is the bottom, clouds, the ozone layers, and so on. So, all of those components are being added into this app”.
The SunSmart World UV app is out there freed from cost at each the Apple App Retailer and Google Play retailer for Android.
It offers customized choices in order that customers can take actions to guard extended extreme UV publicity, a significant explanation for pores and skin most cancers and different UV relate illnesses.