{"id":22548,"date":"2025-07-29T09:57:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T13:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?p=22548"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:09:14","slug":"richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-the-importance-of-uv-safety-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2025\/07\/29\/richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-the-importance-of-uv-safety-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight the Importance of UV Safety Awareness\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>RICHMOND, Va<\/b>. \u2013 The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) remind community members to protect themselves from the dangers of <u><a id=\"OWA79d64535-3dea-4ba9-6845-4096a2a4ceee\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/radiation-health\/features\/uv-radiation.html#cdc_story_lessons-to-protect-yourself-from-uv-radiation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/radiation-health\/features\/uv-radiation.html#cdc_story_lessons-to-protect-yourself-from-uv-radiation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"2\">ultraviolet (UV) radiation<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n<p>July is UV Safety Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of taking proactive steps now to prevent skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the U.S. The good news is that skin cancer is one of the <u><a id=\"OWA1e0bef34-0539-c2f0-7571-6ea25f4d4d00\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/skin-cancer\/about\/index.html\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/skin-cancer\/about\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"3\">most preventable types of cancer<\/a><\/u>. No matter how much time you plan to spend outdoors enjoying the sunshine and summer activities, you should take extra precautions against the damaging rays which can put yourself at risk for several serious health issues.<\/p>\n<p>Sunlight exposure is highest during the summer between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You are also at risk of UV radiation even on cloudy days. Be safe, use common sense and protect yourself from sun damage when outside, no matter what the weather.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing active outdoors is beneficial for our physical and mental health,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director Elaine Perry, M.D. \u201cProtecting ourselves and our loved ones from UV rays while we are enjoying our time outside means we can experience those benefits in a safer way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>UV radiation is classified into three primary types: ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet C (UVC), based on their wavelengths. Almost all the UV radiation that reaches earth is<\/p>\n<p>UVA though some UVB radiation reaches earth. UVA and UVB radiation can both affect health, but UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and is more constant throughout the year.RHHD suggests several steps you can take to <u><a id=\"OWA7a5c224f-d303-2e4b-e908-3168cdf07c94\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/skin-cancer\/sun-safety\/index.html\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/skin-cancer\/sun-safety\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"4\">protect yourself<\/a><\/u> from UV radiation.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stay in the shade, especially during midday hours.<\/li>\n<li>Wear clothes that cover your arms and legs.<\/li>\n<li>Wear a wide brim hat to shade your face, head, ears, and neck.<\/li>\n<li>Wear wraparound sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays to prevent eye damage, aging, and cataracts.<\/li>\n<li>Use sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher, for both UVA and UVB protection.<\/li>\n<li>Consider options like hats, <u><a id=\"OWAd91a7b1d-f011-f0a3-d3e4-6a17f660c07e\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-prevention\/sun-protection\/sun-protective-clothing\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-prevention\/sun-protection\/sun-protective-clothing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"5\">high UPF<\/a><\/u> (50+) clothing and swimwear, and sunscreen to protect your children.\n<ul>\n<li>Sunscreen is not recommended for babies who are six months old or younger. The <u><a id=\"OWAcfbaec66-b181-1629-fe2d-d378436e398d\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/should-you-put-sunscreen-infants-not-usually\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/should-you-put-sunscreen-infants-not-usually\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"6\">U.S. Food and Drug Administration<\/a><\/u> recommends keeping infants out of the sun during midday and using protective clothing if they have to be in the sun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sunscreen protects you from sun exposure by reflecting or absorbing UV rays, but it wears off. Here are some tips on how to apply and select sunscreen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Apply sunscreen to create a thick layer on the skin at least 20 minutes before you are put in the sun.<\/li>\n<li>Apply sunscreen to all exposed skin, including ears, scalp, lips, neck, tops of feet, and backs of hands.<\/li>\n<li>Reapply at least every two hours.<\/li>\n<li>Use sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher.<\/li>\n<li>Ensure your sunscreen \u201cblocks UVA and UVB\u201d or has \u201cbroad spectrum\u201d on the label.<\/li>\n<li>Reapply each time you get out of water or sweat heavily.<\/li>\n<li>If you are also using insect repellent, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second. Follow product label instructions to determine how often you need to reapply insect repellent and sunscreen.<\/li>\n<li>Follow the sunscreen\u2019s expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of three years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Virginia Department of Health and the Cancer Action Coalition of Virginia have partnered with the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society (VRPS) and Virginia schools to implement sun safety initiatives. Visit the <u><a id=\"OWA9d728937-468a-09b2-5954-5237c7450e43\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/cancercoalitionofvirginia.org\/sun-safety\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cancercoalitionofvirginia.org\/sun-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"7\">Cancer Coalition webpage<\/a><\/u> for more information.<\/p>\n<p>For more health and safety information, follow RHHD on Instagram at <u><a id=\"OWA6a2dea0f-7507-2fe6-6d8e-3e3ecc90f6e3\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"8\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a><\/u> and on <u><a id=\"OWA7dc5f0b5-7013-1946-249e-15aa8fccd147\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"9\">Facebook,<\/a><\/u> visit <u><a id=\"OWAb7a02f59-a741-1e74-496b-37af47b0aa27\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\" href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"10\">rhhd.gov<\/a><\/u>, and sign up for RHHD\u2019s monthly newsletter at<b> <\/b><u><a id=\"OWA18d77c01-4a1d-6488-b5df-11120ee65846\" class=\"x_Hyperlink x_SCXW223891861 x_BCX0 x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"http:\/\/rhhd.gov\/news\" href=\"http:\/\/rhhd.gov\/news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"11\">rhhd.gov\/news<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) remind community members to protect themselves from the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. July is UV Safety Awareness Month, a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":383,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pr"],"modified_by":"bryanhooten","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight the Importance of UV Safety Awareness\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2025\/07\/29\/richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-the-importance-of-uv-safety-awareness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight the Importance of UV Safety Awareness\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) remind community members to protect themselves from the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. 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