1. Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation, Skin cancer and the Ozone layer A type of electromagnetic radiation

2. What is skin cancer? The uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells Click on the link and then watch the video clip to find out more about moles and melanoma http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/You-Me-and-UV/Sci- Media/Video/Moles-and-melanoma

3. UV radiation Often we hear of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in the media. The message given is that it is a dangerous and invisible component of sunlight that is best avoided – too much UV of any kind can age our skin and cause various skin cancers. At the same time, we are told that sunlight is good for us as it triggers the production of vitamin D that we need to keep our bodies healthy.radiationvitamin So what is ultraviolet radiation? Where does it come from? What effects does it have on the Earth and on our bodies? And can we put ultraviolet radiation to good use?

4. Ultraviolet (UV) light is part of a family of radiations called the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. UV is produced naturally by very hot objects such as our Sun – UV shines on the Earth along with heat and visible light. Our atmosphere reflects much of the incoming UV back out to space and absorbs most of the rest. Overall, then, only a small proportion of the Sun’s UV reaches us.heatatmosphere

5. The positive and negative effects of UV Click on the link below to read about the positive and negative effects of UV http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/You-Me-and-UV/Science-Ideas- and-Concepts/Positive-and-negative-effects-of-UV Draw up a table to list the positive and negative effects

6. UV causes skin cancer UV is an environmental human carcinogen. It’s the most prominent and universal cancer-causing agent in our environment. There is very strong evidence that each of the three main types of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) is caused by sun exposure. Research shows that as many as 90 percent of skin cancers are due to UV radiation.carcinogenevidencecarcinomamelanoma

7. Investigation-to test the effectiveness of sunscreens using UV beads http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/You-Me-and-UV/Teaching-and- Learning-Approaches/Investigating-sunscreens

8. What do sunscreens do? The most common sunscreens on the market contain chemical filters which absorb UV rays. These products typically include a combination of two to six of these active ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral sunblocks use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide and reflect UV rays back into the atmosphere.

9. The Ozone Layer Ozone is made up of three atoms of oxygen (O 3 ). It is a highly reactive pale blue gas with a noticeable odour. Ozone forms a thin layer in the stratosphere. This layer protects life on Earth from ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet radiation is a known cause of skin cancer. The ozone layer is found within the lower part of the stratosphere. Although the actual concentration of ozone is very small, it plays a critical role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation, known as UV-C, that enters the atmosphere from the Sun.

10. Monitoring our Ozone layer Click on the link and read about how we monitor the ozone layer http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/You-Me-and-UV/NZ- Research/Monitoring-ozone-levels