Review… Moving across spectrum in this direction, energy and frequency decrease while wavelength increases.

Distribution of UV Light across the Globe Latitudes are shown on the left (latitude helps define a location on Earth, specifically how far north or south of the equator a site is).

Folate (Folic Acid) Background Babies whose mothers did not have enough folate are at risk for serious birth defects, including spina bifida.

Folate (Folic Acid) Background The safest way to prevent this type of birth defect is to take a vitamin which contains micrograms of folic acid. Dark green leafy vegetables and many (but not all) breakfast cereals, pastas and rice varieties also contain folic acid.

Folate and UV Radiation One group (called “patients”) was exposed to UV- light, while “normals” were not so exposed.

Folate and UV Radiation (cont’d) Four samples of human plasma were tested for folate concentration before and after exposure to UV light.

Vitamin D and UV Radiation Dotted area = enough sunlight to meet all of a human’s requirement for vitamin D 3 throughout all months of the year. Note: Vitamin D 3 is not produced to toxic levels when high quantities of sunlight are present.

Vitamin D and UV Radiation Area of narrowly-spaced obliques = there is not enough ultraviolet light to synthesize vitamin D 3 in human skin for at least 1 month of the year.

Vitamin D and UV Radiation Area of widely-spaced obliques = there is not enough UV light for the skin to synthesize vitamin D 3 in any month of the year

Don’t Tan! (Whatever Color You Are…You’re Beautiful!) Warning Signs… 1.Open Sore 2.Reddish Patch (looks irritated) 3.Shiny Bump 4.Pink Growth 5.Scar-like Area BCC = Most Common Type of Skin Cancer

Seriously…Don’t Tan! It’s Just Not Worth It! In the US, 35% of adults and 55% of college students have tanned, and the study found there are more than 419,000 new skin cancer cases attributable to indoor tanning each year. Worldwide, there are more skin cancer cases due to indoor tanning than there are lung cancer cases due to smoking.