Hot weather- confused thinking

[fandroid]

We get regular warnings in the media about high temperatures, and some very sensible advice, especially for when travelling abroad. However there's one thing that I found irritating. That's the confusion between protecting ourselves against the sun's affect on the skin and protection against the effects of the heat. High temperatures are just as deadly, even at night!
So much advice concerning high temperatures includes piling on the sunblock. The two aren't connected. We can get severely sunburnt at zero degrees Celsius! Temperature only has a very indirect connection with sunburn.



My friends and family seem confused about this, as well as just about every part of the media.

Why does this myth persist?

 

[dangie]

We get regular warnings in the media about high temperatures, and some very sensible advice, especially for when travelling abroad. However there's one thing that I found irritating. That's the confusion between protecting ourselves against the sun's affect on the skin and protection against the effects of the heat. High temperatures are just as deadly, even at night!
So much advice concerning high temperatures includes piling on the sunblock. The two aren't connected. We can get severely sunburnt at zero degrees Celsius! Temperature only has a very indirect connection with sunburn.



My friends and family seem confused about this, as well as just about every part of the media.

Why does this myth persist?

Agreed. People can get severally sunburned on skiing holidays. Hardly scorchio temperatures

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Hydration and cooling are probably more important issues than sunblock. Excess deaths during heatwaves are largely due to not dealing with these two issues. Deaths due to over-exposure to UV radiation are rare, certainly in this country, and proper hydration is the key to dealing with unusually warm weather.

 

[AlterEgo]

People are much more likely to have their skin exposed in very hot weather, to be fair.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

People are much more likely to have their skin exposed in very hot weather, to be fair.

That depends where you are. In Arabia the locals tend to stay covered when out and about. The issue we have is associating hot weather with beach holidays and sunbathing so we tend to strip off rather than covering up. Not so bad if appropriate sunblock is used but how many people actually do so when not on holiday? We need to learn from the Australians on this topic.

 

[dangie]

If you get 300+ days of sun per year it's novelty quickly wears off and you're likely to stay covered. In the UK with 3+ days per year if you're lucky it is a novelty.

 

[al78]

The two are connected in the UK. No-one is getting sunburned in the UK in near freezing temperatures because we don't have Alpine-sized mountain ranges here. In this country temperature is strongly correlated with sunshine intensity, with some of the variance attributed to cloudiness and the type of air mass over the country.

When it comes to heatwaves and health impacts, the nighttime temperatures are important. The human body can tolerate quite high temperatures during the day as long as it has the opportunity to cool down at night. High minimum temperatures prevent this and exasperate the risk of heat related health problems.

The main risk with the health issues seems to be older people and the very young who's thermoregulation is not as good at regulating body temperature as strong healthy adults.

Heat related deaths in the UK:

The main causes of UK heatwave deaths

Analysis predicts the number of heat-related deaths will continue to increase as a result of climate change, but who is most at risk and what other factors are at play?

taking.care

Melanoma skin cancer statistics:​

Melanoma skin cancer statistics

The latest melanoma skin cancer statistics for the UK for Health Professionals. See data for incidence, mortality, survival, risk and more.

www.cancerresearchuk.org

 

[fandroid]

My gripe is with media advice not clarifying the difference between heatstroke and sunburn and the preventative measures against them. These warnings generally only come when air temperatures are expected in the high 20s and above. However many people in the UK will expose their skin in the low 20s which are temperatures that are far more common in the UK than the higher ones, and commonly occur in the early summer when UV levels can be at their maximum. The concern is that people will think they don't need sunblock in these lower temperatures.

 

[westv]

My gripe is with media advice not clarifying the difference between heatstroke and sunburn and the preventative measures against them. These warnings generally only come when air temperatures are expected in the high 20s and above. However many people in the UK will expose their skin in the low 20s which are temperatures that are far more common in the UK than the higher ones, and commonly occur in the early summer when UV levels can be at their maximum. The concern is that people will think they don't need sunblock in these lower temperatures.

Doesn't the UV index number on TV forecasts cover this?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As long ago as 1931, Noel Coward wrote that song of note that stressed the point that Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.

 

[dangie]

Isn’t sunlight on the skin a good source of Vitamin D? Yes I know it can be obtained from supplement’s, but I’d much rather have a walk or cycle in the sunshine.

 

[zero]

Isn’t sunlight on the skin a good source of Vitamin D? Yes I know it can be obtained from supplement’s, but I’d much rather have a walk or cycle in the sunshine.

In the UK summer, you only need about 10 minutes of sun exposure at noon to get sufficient Vitamin D.

Longer than that on a repeated basis will increase the risk of developing skin cancer (but of course in the UK it's frequently cloudy even in summer and in the winter months there is almost no UV)

 

[dangie]

In the UK summer, you only need about 10 minutes of sun exposure at noon to get sufficient Vitamin D.

Longer than that on a repeated basis will increase the risk of developing skin cancer (but of course in the UK it's frequently cloudy even in summer and in the winter months there is almost no UV)

The added benefit of a walk or cycle is that it’s exercise. Plus you can see the world around you. A winner all round

 

[zero]

The added benefit of a walk or cycle is that it’s exercise. Plus you can see the world around you. A winner all round

Well yes of course. The point was that you should be using sunblock or at least cover up if you are outdoors in the UK from April to September on sunny days, even if it's cold. In June/July at lunchtime, as little as 20 minutes can be damaging rather than beneficial.

 

[trainophile]

Hydration is equally important in hot weather. Hence the "carry a bottle of water" on train announcements. You don't realise you're sweating as it evaporates.