Patrick Jessop JMJ 12/15/14
Mr. Paul Period 07 Sunscreen Effectiveness For my science project this year, I have chosen to test the effectiveness of different SPF’s of sunscreen available in the consumer market. I hypothesize that the higher SPF sunscreens really do make a difference to the “sunburns” sustained by my test subjects. These higher SPF sunscreens are essential to help protect the skin from one of the worst kinds of skin cancer, melanoma.
Even though there was a myth about the possibility of sunscreen causing cancer, that myth was debunked in 2003. Also, sunscreen was found to not deprive the body of Vitamin D, a vitamin naturally obtained from our sun. A synthetic chemical named …show more content…
These materials make use of photo chromatic polymers, which need UV ray exposure to change color. It appears that these materials have the ability to change colors relatively quickly and will switch back to their original color if taken out from the source of the rays. Even though that sounds unfortunate, I can still use sunscreen to hopefully block the rays from reaching the source of the material. I plan to use photo chromatic paint to simulate the surface of the skin. I will apply large amounts of this paint to a surface that can absorb sunscreen, preferably a cloth or piece of paper. I will cover those pieces of paper with the paint, and then about a teaspoon of the sunscreen. I am also using two bottles of SPF 15 sunscreen, two bottles of SPF 30 sunscreen, and two bottles of SPF 50 sunscreen. I will lay the materials on a sunny windowsill in my house for the entirety of each day and will rank and observe and changes the materials have undergone. Since these materials react to the sun easily, I wont need a source of UV rays to be able to observe a reaction. Even though there are usually lower amounts of sunlight in the winter season, I believe that I will be able to yield results. Everyday I will rank each of the pieces on a scale I made. 1 is “no discoloration, 2 is “slight discoloration, 3 is “moderate …show more content…
These facts support evidence of the helpful and harmful effects of UV rays, while also being the cause of the invention of sunscreen. However, it is also necessary to test the sunscreen to see if it is effective during long-term exposure to harmful rays. It is important to test such a product in a world where nobody reads the labels and the fine print anymore.
Bibliography
1. Morison, Warwick; Wang, Steve. “Sunscreens: Safe and Effective?” Skincancer.org. Skin Cancer Foundation. 16 Dec. 2014. http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/sunscreens-safe-and-effective
2. “Sunscreen”. Wikipedia. 17 Dec. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen
3. Science Mission Directorate. “Ultraviolet Waves”. Mission: Science. 14 Aug. 2014. http://missionscience.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves.html
4. “Ultraviolet”. Wikipedia. 15 Dec. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/cwiki/Ultraviolet#Discovery
5. “What is the UV index?”. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 17 Dec. 2014.
Mr. Paul Period 07 Sunscreen Effectiveness For my science project this year, I have chosen to test the effectiveness of different SPF’s of sunscreen available in the consumer market. I hypothesize that the higher SPF sunscreens really do make a difference to the “sunburns” sustained by my test subjects. These higher SPF sunscreens are essential to help protect the skin from one of the worst kinds of skin cancer, melanoma.
Even though there was a myth about the possibility of sunscreen causing cancer, that myth was debunked in 2003. Also, sunscreen was found to not deprive the body of Vitamin D, a vitamin naturally obtained from our sun. A synthetic chemical named …show more content…
These materials make use of photo chromatic polymers, which need UV ray exposure to change color. It appears that these materials have the ability to change colors relatively quickly and will switch back to their original color if taken out from the source of the rays. Even though that sounds unfortunate, I can still use sunscreen to hopefully block the rays from reaching the source of the material. I plan to use photo chromatic paint to simulate the surface of the skin. I will apply large amounts of this paint to a surface that can absorb sunscreen, preferably a cloth or piece of paper. I will cover those pieces of paper with the paint, and then about a teaspoon of the sunscreen. I am also using two bottles of SPF 15 sunscreen, two bottles of SPF 30 sunscreen, and two bottles of SPF 50 sunscreen. I will lay the materials on a sunny windowsill in my house for the entirety of each day and will rank and observe and changes the materials have undergone. Since these materials react to the sun easily, I wont need a source of UV rays to be able to observe a reaction. Even though there are usually lower amounts of sunlight in the winter season, I believe that I will be able to yield results. Everyday I will rank each of the pieces on a scale I made. 1 is “no discoloration, 2 is “slight discoloration, 3 is “moderate …show more content…
These facts support evidence of the helpful and harmful effects of UV rays, while also being the cause of the invention of sunscreen. However, it is also necessary to test the sunscreen to see if it is effective during long-term exposure to harmful rays. It is important to test such a product in a world where nobody reads the labels and the fine print anymore.
Bibliography
1. Morison, Warwick; Wang, Steve. “Sunscreens: Safe and Effective?” Skincancer.org. Skin Cancer Foundation. 16 Dec. 2014. http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/sunscreens-safe-and-effective
2. “Sunscreen”. Wikipedia. 17 Dec. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen
3. Science Mission Directorate. “Ultraviolet Waves”. Mission: Science. 14 Aug. 2014. http://missionscience.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves.html
4. “Ultraviolet”. Wikipedia. 15 Dec. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/cwiki/Ultraviolet#Discovery
5. “What is the UV index?”. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 17 Dec. 2014.