The sun:
The sun is one of the best things about summer but if you’re not careful it can hurt. Here are some sun tips and info to make your family’s time in the sun safe:
- Children should wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.
- You should apply sunscreen 30 minutes before the kids go outside and reapply it after swimming.
- All children over the age of three should wear sunglasses. Opticians say that children's eyes are more vulnerable to sun damage than the eyes of adults because they allow more light to reach the retina. Make sure the sunglasses you choose provide UV protection.
- Make sure everyone in the family wears a hat when outside. It not only blocks sun from the face but it keeps us cooler.
- Babies should be shaded from the sun at all times.
Read our Sun Myths to learn more about sun safety.
- What does SPF mean?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It means that product can protect your skin from burning for a certain amount of time. So in normal sun conditions, it will take unprotected skin ten minutes to burn. If you are wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30, you have 300 minutes to play before your skin will burn. But cut that time into thirds if you are sweating heavily or swimming. - What are UVB and UVA rays?
UVA are long-wave solar rays that penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB. UVA rays are blamed for wrinkles and that leathery look sported by some sun lovers. It is also thought to be responsible for some skin cancers.
UVB rays are short-wave solar rays. UVB rays cause sunburn and are responsible for most skin cancers.
Most sunscreens guard against UVB but only some provide protection from UVB and UVA. Even the ones that do protect from UVA do not protect against longer wave rays. So even with the best sunscreen, you aren’t fully protected so it is important to make sure kids are wearing sunglasses, hats and protective clothing in the sun.
The heat:
The heat can be the best and the worst part about summer. It’s important to be aware of heat-related illnesses like sun stroke and heat exhaustion, especially with small children. Air quality is also a concern with the summer heat, so here’s a primer.
- What is the air quality index?
According to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the air quality index is: “an indicator of air quality, based on hourly pollutant measurements of some or all of the six most common air pollutants sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, total reduced sulphur compounds, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter.” - What does the AQI mean?
If the index is high then there is a high concentration of pollutants in the air and people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses may have problems. If the air quality index is under 32, the air is considered good. If it is between 32 and 49, it is still okay but not good. A reading from 50 to 99 means poor air quality. A reading over 100 means very poor air quality. Before you go out, check the air quality in your area. - What is smog?
Smog used to mean a mixture of smoke and fog. Now it means pollution formed by the combination of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight (which is why it happens mainly in the summer). The pollutants that form smog come from our cars, factories, power plants and homes.
The water:
Swimming and summer are the best of friends. If your children love to spend all their time in the water, remember to apply sunscreen every thirty minutes, get them to drink at least two glasses of water or fruit juice every hour, and make sure they are supervised at all times. Forty-two per cent of the children, aged 5 to 14, who drowned between 1991 and 2000 were not supervised. Fifty-eight children under 14 drown each year in Canada. So be safe and brush up on CPR. Read this for a primer and demonstration.
