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NOAA 2004-051 |
NOAA
News Releases 2004 NOAA Home Page NOAA Public Affairs |
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service announced the new Global Ultraviolet Index, which replaces the existing UV reporting methods in the United States. The announcement was made jointly by the agencies in Washington, D.C. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Developed by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Program and other international organizations, the Global UV Index is a set of guidelines designed to better help people understand which precautions to take to protect themselves from different levels of UV radiation. These guidelines will standardize reporting of surface UV radiation levels in the United States with those in other nations. Canada also is adopting the guidelines. “The standardization of guidelines for reporting UV risks is a landmark venture of governments and health organizations working together to save lives,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The Daily NOAA/EPA UV-Index is computed using the forecasted ozone data, a radiative transfer model, forecasted cloud amounts and the elevation of the forecast cities.” NOAA modified the UV-Index forecast products this month to comply with the WHO guidelines. “With summer around the corner and sun-drenched beaches beckoning, it's easy to forget that the sunlight that feels so good can be harmful,” said Mike Leavitt, EPA administrator. “Our new UV index is a quick and easy way for people to know when it's important to use sun screen and how to avoid too much sun.” The UV Index is a measure of the amount of skin-damaging UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Currently, UV Index forecasts issued by NOAA's National Weather Service provides information about UV intensity during the solar noon hour (1:00 p.m. daylight saving time) of the following day. The UV Index informs people when rays will be strongest so that they can take action to protect themselves. Overexposure to UV radiation from the sun is a preventable contributor to serious health effects, particularly skin cancer. Incidence of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has more than doubled in the United States in the last thirty years. “We are excited that the U.S. is adopting the Global UV Index,” said Dr. James Spencer, co-chair of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention and professor of Dermatology at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. “If people use the Index to protect themselves from the sun during peak UV intensity hours, their chances of UV-related health problems—like skin cancer—will decrease greatly.” The National Weather Service and EPA will provide daily UV forecasts for 58 major metropolitan areas, as well as forecasts by zip code. Information about the Global UV Index, including downloadable files and links to sites about UV radiation, is available on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvilaunch.html. The NOAA National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. . NOAA is dedicated to enhancing the economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. On the Web: NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov NOAA's National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov NOAA UV sites: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_current.html http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/bulletin.txt http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_current_map.html http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/us/ultraviolet.html EPA's
SunWise: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/index.html |
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