Please note by clicking on Post you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and the Grand Junction, CO report and/or forecast you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be respectful. An inappropriate Grand Junction, CO report and/or forecast will be removed by a moderator.
A. The sun produces invisible rays called ultraviolet-A (UVA) or ultraviolet-B (UVB) that can damage the skin. Too much sun can cause sunburn, skin texture changes, and skin cancers. Rashes also can be attributed to sunlight. Even on cloudy days, UV radiation reaches the earth and can cause skin damage.
95% of the UV energy hitting the earthâs surface is UV-A. The other 5% is UV-B. In fact, almost all of UV-B radiation is absorbed by our atmosphere (Ah, the wonders of an ozone layer). UV-A penetrates the skin more deeply than UV-B, however, its UV-B that causes more short term and long term problems. Problems like skin cancer, aging, and DNA damage. Itâs also UV-B waves that are primarily responsible for your sunburned skin. How do these rays cause erythema and the pain that comes with it? UV-B wavelengths donât penetrate very deeply, but they cause photochemical reactions in your epidermis (the outer layer of your skin) and damages DNA.