Should I wear a hat while gardening? ASK THE HORT AGENT
Question Should I wear a hat while gardening?
Answer The answer is yes, if you want to keep cancer off your punkin (Southern for pumpkin head). Skin cancer is now considered to be an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in five people will get skin cancer in their lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma (the most serious type of skin cancer) accounted for over 60,000 cases of skin cancer in 2006 and most (about 8,000) of the 10,000 deaths due to skin cancer each year. I would consider this serious business.
Skin related problems derive from a two part equation – sun plus exposure. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a portion of the electromagnetic energy spectrum produced by the sun. It is commonly split into three bands: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC is completely absorbed by ozone and oxygen and does not reach the earth’s surface.
UVB is mostly absorbed by ozone, although some reaches the earth under normal conditions. UVB varies in cycles according to the time of day, season, latitude, altitude and so on. The US experiences the highest levels of UVB from mid-spring through mid-fall, between 10 am and 4 pm. Since UVB only penetrates to the epidermis layer of skin, it is responsible for the burning of skin.
UVA is not significantly absorbed by ozone and passes through to the earth’s surface. UVA does not change in intensity. So, UVA levels on a winter morning are similar to UVA levels in the middle of a summer day. Although UVA rays are weaker than UVB, we are exposed to more of them because they are present all year. Penetrating deep into the dermis, UVA causes premature skin aging, wrinkles and skin allergies.
To minimize skin damage from UV rays, simply minimize your exposure to the sun. Work in the shade from 10 am until 4 pm. Wear clothes that cover your skin, a hat that covers your ears, nose and neck, sunglasses to cover your eyes and sunscreen to cover everything else.
The transition from wide brim hats to baseball caps is probably the single worst thing that ever happened to people working outside. Only wide brimmed hats protect the side of your face, ears and neck.
As for regular sunscreen, be advised that the SPF (sun protection factor) number only refers to the product’s ability to stop UVB rays. Broad-spectrum sunscreens and sunblocks with an SPF of 15 or higher do a good job against UVB and short UVA rays provided they contain avobenzone (Parsol 1789), zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide. Scientists worldwide are working to develop a standardized certification method to measure UVA protection.
For a good publication on children and sunlight, visit http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/cdic/cpns/skin/downloads/School_Systems.pdf If you don’t have internet access, call me at 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org
Clothes and sunscreen are inversely proportionate – little clothes equals lots of sunscreen and lots of clothes equals little sunscreen. The word hair can also be substituted for the word clothes.
Gary L. Pierce
Horticulture Extension Agent
Harnett County | 
