FEEL LIKE 

new or changing mole in an adult should be evaluated by 

That’s what you’re doing when 

you don’t cover up in the sun. 

Why? 

Because the OZONE LAYER — the


Earth’s protective shield against the


sun’s harmful UV rays — is thinner


today than it was 25 years ago.


Why is that dangerous? 

Because today’s more intense UV


rays can cause:


• Skin cancer (which can kill you) 

• Premature wrinkling 

• Eye damage 

• Weakening of the immune


system (which keeps us


from getting sick). 


You say this doesn’t apply 

to you? 

YOU’RE WRONG. 

It doesn’t matter what your skin


color is — everyone needs


protection.


Here’s what you 

can do: 

Do Not Burn 

Avoid Sun Tanning and


Tanning Beds


Generously Apply Sunscreen 


Wear Protective Clothing,


Including a Hat, Sunglasses and


Full-Length Clothing


Seek Shade 


Use Extra Caution Near Water, Snow


and Sand 


Watch for the UV Index


Get Vitamin D Safely 


Early detection of melanoma can save your life. 

Carefully examine ALL of your skin once a month. A 

a dermatologist. 

Don’t Wait ‘Til It’s Too Late – 

Be SunWise NOW www.epa.gov/sunwise


Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process 

Chlorine Free Recycled Paper 

True or False?

1. The thicker the ozone layer, the more it protects us

from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are chemicals that are

eating away at the ozone layer.

3. Sun protection isn’

clouds block ultraviolet rays.

t needed on cloudy days because

4. I can get a safe tan in a tanning parlor.

5. Early morning and late afternoons are the worst

times for exposure to UV rays. 

AreYou

SunWise

or

SunFoolish? 

Answers: , 2-T 1-T , 3-F, 4-F, 5-F 
United States Air and Radiation EPA 430-H-06-001 

Environmental Protection Agency (6205J) September 2006 

www.epa.gov/sunwise 

Hello Family! 

Did you know ... 

... that much of your child’s lifetime 


sun exposure can occur before he or she 


graduates from high school?


... that any change in the natural color of your


child’s skin after time outside indicates damage


from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays? 


... that all people, regardless of skin or eye color,


are equally at risk for eye damage from overexpo­


sure to the sun?


The Environmental Protection Agency’s SunWise Program needs you to help reinforce the important sun safety messages your child is learning in school. You can help your son or daughter learn the difference between being 

SunWise and SunFoolish by... 

Being SunWise yourself! Children learn from the behavior you model. 

Always having and using a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15. Make sure a bottle 

of SPF 15+ sunscreen is easily available year-round. It’s not just for days at the beach! 

Reminding your children to follow these SunWise action steps: 

Wear Protective 

Do Not Burn Avoid Sun Generously Apply Clothing, Including a 

Tanning and Sunscreen Hat, Sunglasses and 

Tanning Beds Full-Length Clothing 

Seek Shade Use Extra Caution Watch for the UV Get Vitamin D 

Near Water, Snow Index Safely 

and Sand 
SunWise SunScramble 

Unscramble the circled letters to find the SunWise word: 

Cross Word Puzzle Clues 

ACROSS: 

1.	 Overexposure to the sun can cause skin 

cancer, eye damage, and these 

2.	 UV stands for ___________. 

3.	 A natural source of sun protection 

4.	 Naturally occurring gas that is found in 

two layers of the atmosphere 

5.	 Type of dangerous ultraviolet radiation 

associated with sunlamps in tanning parlors 

DOWN: 

1.	 The gas from CFCs that attacks ozone 

2.	 EPA school program that promotes sun safety 

3. _________ may reduce UV levels, but 

not completely 

4.	 Eye damage that occurs as a result of 

sun overexposure 

5. The most serious form of skin cancer 

ers: nsw A

DOWN: ACROSS:	

ine 1. chlor inkles wr 1. 	

ise 2. SunW ultraviolet 2. 	

3. clouds shade 3. 	

4. cataracts ozone 4. 	

melanoma 5. A UV 5. 	

een Sunscr SCRAMBLE: 
Are you SunWise or SunFoolish?


TRUE OR FALSE?


1. The thicker the ozone layer, the more it protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are chemicals that are eating away at the ozone layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

3. Ozone layer damage is permanent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

4. Sun protection isn’t needed on cloudy days because clouds block ultraviolet rays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

5. I can get a safe tan in a tanning parlor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

6. Early morning and late afternoons are the worst times for exposure to UV rays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

7. UV rays are blocked by cold weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

8. African Americans and Latinos don’t need to worry about sun damage to their skin. . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

9. UV rays can damage your eyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

10. A blistering sunburn when you’re young can greatly increase your risk of skin cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

11. You should always choose sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or greater . . . . . . . . .True False 

12. The key to protecting your skin and eyes is to keep them covered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .True False 

– The middle of the day (between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.), LSE AF 6. 

e. when the sun is most intense, is the worst time for sun exposur

ing, , fall, winter or spr s summer t matter whether it’ – It doesn’ LSE AF 7. 

t wait for a hot, sunny day at ound. Don’ UV rays can harm you all year r

e not associated Remember that UV rays ar otect yourself. the beach to pr

ightness. s heat or br with the sun’

e natural – Though it is true that darker skin has mor ALSE F 8. 

otectant, darker skin is still susceptible pigment, which acts as a pr

fects of UV radiation. to many of the damaging ef

isk of cataracts, which, if left ease your r – UV rays can incr TRUE 9. 

ob you of your vision. eated, can r untr

e likely to get e much mor ed that you ar – Doctors have discover TRUE 10. 

n. skin cancer if you’ve had a bad sunbur

why o t cut it, s e less than SPF 15 simply don’ eens that ar – Sunscr TRUE 11. 

o t e r us e B otection? t give you good pr settle for something less that doesn’

een every 2 hours or after swimming or sweating. eapply the sunscr r

-blocking een, long-sleeve shirts, hats and UV – Sunscr TRUE 12. 

tank otection than baby oil, sunglasses do a much better job at sun pr

tops, and no hat or sunglasses. 

 12-T , , 11-T , 10-T , 9-T , 8-F , 7-F , 6-F , 5-F , 4-F , 3-F , 2-T 1-T ANSWERS: 

l uf mr a e) blocks h e (stratospher – Ozone in the upper atmospher TRUE 1. 

t ough. Don’ r h UV rays can slip t e s too thin, mor ultraviolet rays; if it’

imary compo­ ozone, a pr ound-level ic ozone with gr confuse stratospher

.” , “Ozone: good up high, bad nearby nent of smog. Remember

– Ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFCs can be found in air TRUE 2. 

igerators and other places. When these chemicals leak efr conditioners, r

, making it thinner so it e they damage the ozone layer into the atmospher

t block as many harmful UV rays. doesn’

epair itself in the latter half of – The ozone layer is expected to r LSE AF 3. 

ies that signed United States and over 189 countr the 21st century if the 

o­ otocol continue to fulfill their obligations to stop pr eal Pr the Montr

and using chemicals that deplete ozone. ducing 

ou – Clouds only block a portion of harmful UV rays. Y LSE AF 4. 

otect yourself on cloudy days. still need to pr

inked e l A rays, which ar – Sunlamps in tanning parlors emit UV LSE AF 5. 

e is no such thing as a . Ther fects such as skin cancer ious health ef to ser

sign of skin damage. a s i safe tan! Any change in your natural skin color 

HOW DID YOU DO? Give yourself 1 point for each correct answer. If you scored... 

10–12 points: 6-9 points: 0-5 points: 

YOU’RE SUNWISE! Make sure you use YOU’RE SUN-SO-SO. You know some of YOU’RE SUNFOOLISH. Watch out – 

your “SunWisdom” when you’re outside! the basics, but need some brushing up. what you don’t know CAN hurt you! 
SunWise Facts 

How Can Too Much Sun Harm You? 

It’s fun to play in the sun, but did you know that too much sun can be dangerous? 

If you’ve ever had a painful sunburn, you’ve experienced one of the harmful effects of 

overexposure to the sun’s ULTRAVIOLET (UV) RADIATION. 

In addition to causing premature and excessive wrinkling of the skin, overexposure to UV 

can cause more serious health effects, too, such as skin cancer and eye damage, including 

cataracts. 

Young people are particularly at risk if appropriate precautions are not taken, because much 

of the average person's lifetime exposure can occur before the age of 18. 

The good news is that UV-related health effects are largely preventable by establishing sun protection habits while you’re young and staying sun-safe throughout your life. 

Why Is Being SunWise Even More Important


Now Than When Your Parents Were Your Age?


To answer this question, you need to know a little about the earth’s 

environment. 

The OZONE layer is a thin shield in the atmosphere that protects us 

from the sun. It wraps all the way around the Earth, and can be found 

about 6 to 30 miles straight up. 

As long as humans have been on Earth, the OZONE layer has blocked 

much of the sun’s dangerous UV rays from reaching us, and it continues 

to keep most UV RADIATION from harming life on the planet. 

The ozone layer’s biggest enemies are chemicals used in air conditioners, refrigerators, and other common products. The 

CHLORINE or BROMINE in these chemicals eats away at the 

ozone layer. As the OZONE layer gets thinner, more and more 

harmful UV RAYS reach the Earth’s surface. That’s not only 

bad for humans, but also for plants and animals. It can cause 

a chain reaction among many things that live and breathe in the 

oceans or on land: if tiny fish and plants that are on the bottom of the 

food chain are destroyed or damaged by the UV RADIATION, bigger 

fish and animals that rely on these smaller things for food could starve 

and die, too. 

Humans are taking steps to reduce the amount of ozone-depleting chemicals that leak into the atmosphere. This should help “repair” the ozone layer, but unfortunately that could take years. In the meantime, the OZONE LAYER is thinner, and 

more harmful UV RAYS are reaching you than when your parents were your age. 

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? 

Don’t Wait ‘Til It’s Too Late 

– Be SunWise Now!