Ultraviolet radiation and human health

Skin cancer is caused primarily by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation – either from the sun or from artificial sources such as sunbeds.

Globally in 2000, over 200 000 cases of melanoma were diagnosed and there were 65 000 melanoma-associated deaths.

Excessive sun exposure in children and adolescents is likely to contribute to skin cancer in later life.

Worldwide approximately 18 million people are blind as a result of cataracts, of these 5% of all cataract related disease burden is directly attributable to UV radiation exposure.

Sun protection is recommended when the ultraviolet index is 3 and above. Small amounts of UV radiation are beneficial to health, and play an essential role in the production of vitamin D. However, excessive exposure to UV radiation is associated with different types of skin cancer, sunburn, accelerated skin ageing, cataract and other eye diseases. There is also evidence that UV radiation reduces the effectiveness of the immune system.

Effects on the skin

Excessive UV exposure results in a number of chronic skin changes.

·        Cutaneous malignant melanoma: a life-threatening malignant skin cancer.

·        Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: a malignant cancer, which generally progresses less rapidly than melanoma and is less likely to cause death.

·        Basal cell carcinoma of the skin: a slow-growing skin cancer appearing predominantly in older people.

·        Photoageing: a loss of skin tightness and the development of solar keratoses.

Effects on the eyes

Acute effects of UV radiation include photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, respectively). These effects are reversible, easily prevented by protective eyewear and are not associated with any long-term damage.

Chronic effects of UV radiation include:

·        Cataract: an eye disease where the lens becomes increasingly opaque, resulting in impaired vision and eventual blindness.

·                Pterygium: a white or creamy fleshy growth on the surface of the eye.

Other health effects

UV radiation appears to diminish the effectiveness of the immune system by changing the activity and distribution of the cells responsible for triggering immune responses. Immunosuppression can cause reactivation of the herpes simplex virus in the lip ("cold sores").

Vulnerable groups

Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of UV radiation. Excessive sun exposure in children is likely to contribute to skin cancer in later life. The mechanisms are unclear, but it may be that skin is more susceptible to the harmful effects of UV radiation during childhood.

A person's skin type is also important. Fair-skinned people suffer more from sunburn and have a higher risk of skin cancer than dark-skinned people.

Protective measures

 Ø Limit time in the midday sun.

 Ø Seek shade

 Ø Wear protective clothing such as a broad brimmed hat to protect the eyes, face and neck.

 Ø Wear sunglasses with side panels that provide 99 to 100 percent UV-A and UV-B protection.

 Ø Use and liberally reapply broad-spectrum sunscreen of sun protection factor (SPF) 30+ on skin areas that cannot be covered by clothes. Sun protection is best achieved by seeking shade and wearing clothes rather than applying sunscreens. Sunscreens should not be used for extending time spent in the sun, and people using sunscreen during sun tanning should voluntarily limit their time spent in the sun.

 Ø Avoid sunbeds: use of sunbeds before the age of 35 is associated with a 75% increase in the risk of melanoma.

 Ø Protect babies and young children: always keep babies in the shade.

   Ø Encouraging children to take the simple precautions above will prevent both short-term and long-term damage while still allowing them to enjoy the time they spend outdoors. Parents and guardians should ensure that children are protected adequately.

BASIC KITCHEN SAFETY

·    Make sure all wires, cords and plugs on your appliances are not frayed and that the plugs have 3-prong grounded connections. This would include coffee makers, toasters, blenders, microwaves, mixers, etc.

·  Don’t use extension cords. You can obtain a junction box that has built-in GFI (ground fault interrupters). This will allow you extra plug in space and the GFI will kick in if there is a power shortage. Helps avoid water/electrical shock accidents.

·    Get rid of any appliance that is broken or damaged. New ones are very inexpensive these days. If a new one would bust your budget, try garage and tag sales (just make sure you’re not buying somebody else’s broken appliance).

·        Put a childproof lock not only on the cabinets with your medicines and cleaning supplies, but also your oven.

·        Don’t leave the kitchen with pots & pans cooking on the stove. Make sure to turn off burners as soon as you take the pot off.

·        Avoid wearing inappropriate clothing while cooking. That means loose sleeves and sweaters.

·        Keep dish towels, pot holders and oven mitts away from the stove.

·        Keep matches and lighters in high places where curious little hands can’t reach them.

·        If using candles in the kitchen, don’t leave the room (or home) while they’re burning. Make sure they are in a safe place and are in flame proof containers.

·        Check furniture, curtains, dish towels, etc. to be sure they are not blocking heaters or vents.

·        Keep a fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen, but not near the stove or the heater.

·        In case of a grease fire, salt and/or baking soda will help if you do not have a fire extinguisher.

·        Keep emergency numbers handy.

·        Scalding is one of the most common injuries in the kitchen. Make sure to turn pot handles away from the front of the stove and away from little curious hands.

·        Scalding can occur from hot steam as well. Be careful when lifting lids from hot food (including opening that hot bag of microwave popcorn)!

·        Handling Knives: (a) Always cut away from your body when using a knife. It can slip and cut you, (b) Always use a cutting board, (c) Protect your counter tops, (d) Keep blades sharp, (e) Keep knives clean (including handle) – slippery handles can cause injuries, (f) Don’t put knives in a sink of soapy water – they may not be seen and accidents can occur, (g) Wash and dry carefully keeping sharp edge away from your hands, (h) Always lay them flat, never on the back or edge, (i) Don’t attempt to catch a knife as it falls – better it hits the floor than cut your hand, (j) Wash knives with warm soapy water after each use.

·        Be sure appliances are unplugged before touching sharp edges (blenders, can openers, mixers, etc.).

·        Never stick a fork in a toaster to retrieve trapped toast – you may get shocking results.

·        Always be sure the blender is unplugged before touching the blades.

·        Be careful about sharp edges: scissors, broken glass, potato peeler, etc.

·        Never ever, ever leave cooking foods unattended – not even for a minute.

·        Casualness causes casualties – don’t answer or talk on the phone while cooking – you can be distracted and injuries can result.

·        Clean up spills immediately – wet floors are slippery when wet.

·        Keep the kitchen floor clear or toys and other items.

·        Be certain that walking areas are always clear of toys and other items.

·        Keep young children out of the kitchen while cooking.

·        Always use a step-stool to reach high places.

·        Store cleaning supplies and all chemicals in a safe place. Use safety latches.

Tips on Energy Saving

The Domestic Sector accounts for 30% of total energy consumption in the country. There is a tremendous scope to conserve energy by adopting simple measures.

This information is a guide, which offers easy, practical solutions for saving energy in Home Appliances. Please, take a few moments to read the valuable tips that will save energy & money and ultimately help conserve our natural resources. It would be useful to know which gadget consumes how much electricity. Economic use of home appliances can help in reducing electricity bills.

By following these simple tips one can save energy to a large extent.

Lighting

·        Turn off the lights when not in use

·        Take advantage of daylight by using light-coloured, loose-weave curtains on   your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room.  Also, decorate with lighter colours that reflect daylight

·        De-dust lighting fixtures to maintain illumination

·        Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light  where you need it

·        Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same lighting

·        Use electronic chokes in place of conventional copper chokes

Fans

·        Replace conventional regulators with electronic regulators for ceiling fans

·        Install exhaust fans at a higher elevation than ceiling fans

Electric iron

·        Select iron boxes with automatic temperature cut off

·        Use appropriate regulator position for ironing

·        Do not put more water on clothes while ironing

·        Do not iron wet clothes

Kitchen Appliances

Mixers

·        Avoid dry grinding in your food processors (mixers and grinders) as it takes longer time than liquid grinding

·        Microwaves ovens Consumes 50 % less energy than conventional electric / gas stoves

·        Do not bake large food items

·        Unless you're baking breads or pastries, you may not even need to preheat

·        Don't open the oven door too often to check food condition as each opening leads to a temperature drop of 25°C

Electric stove

·        Turn off electric stoves several minutes before the specified cooking time

·        Use flat-bottomed pans that make full contact with the cooking

Gas stove

·        When cooking on a gas burner, use moderate flame settings to conserve LPG

·        Remember that a blue flame means your gas stove is operating efficiently

·        Yellowish flame is an indicator that the burner needs cleaning

·        Use pressure cookers as much as possible

·        Use lids to cover the pans while cooking

·        Bring items taken out of refrigerators (like vegetables, milk etc)  to room temperature before placing on the gas stove for heating

·        Use Solar Water Heater – a good replacement for a electric water heater

Electronic Devices

·        Do not switch on the power when  TV and  Audio Systems are not in use i.e. idle operation leads to an energy loss of 10 watts/device

Computers

·        Turn off your home office equipment when not in use. A computer that runs 24 hours a day, for instance, uses - more power than an energy-efficient refrigerator.

·        If your computer must be left on, turn off the monitor; this device alone uses more than half the system's energy.

·        Setting computers, monitors, and copiers to use sleep-mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by approximately 40%.

·        Battery chargers, such as those for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, draw power whenever they are plugged in and are very inefficient. Pull the plug and save.

·        Screen savers save computer screens, not energy. Start-ups and shutdowns do not use any extra energy, nor are they hard on your computer components. In fact, shutting computers down when you are finished using them actually reduces system wear – and saves energy

Refrigerator

·        Regularly defrost manual-defrost refrigerators and freezers; frost build up increases the amount of energy needed to keep the motor running.

·        Leave enough space between your refrigerator and the walls so that air can easily circulate around the refrigerator

·        Don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold.

·        Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight

·        Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.

·        Do not open the doors of the refrigerators frequently

·        Don't leave the fridge door open for longer than necessary, as cold air will escape.

·        Use smaller cabinets for storing frequently used items

·        Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge

Washing machines

·        Always wash only with full loads

·        Use optimal quantity of water

·        Use timer facility to save energy

·        Use the correct amount of detergent

·        Use hot water only for very dirty clothes

·        Always use cold water in the rinse cycle

·        Prefer natural drying over electric dryers

Air Conditioners

·        Prefer air conditioners having automatic temperature cut off

·        Keep regulators at “low cool” position

·        Operate the ceiling fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively throughout the room and operate the air conditioner at higher temperature

·        Seal the doors and windows properly

·        Leave enough space between your air conditioner and the walls to allow better air circulation

·        A roof garden can reduce the load on  Air Conditioner

·        Use windows with sun films/curtains

·        Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower will be energy consumption.

·        Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling.

·        Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

·        Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.