July is UV Safety Awareness Month. It is the month dedicated to discuss awareness on its effects and the need to protect ourselves from the damaging UV. Unlike sunlight, UV can’t be seen and felt with your skin. Your senses cannot detect it unless the damage has already been done, which is why it is important to raise awareness on this matter.
Harmful effects of UV range from short-term effects like sunburn, aging, material discoloration and disintegration and long-term effects which include serious illnesses like melanoma or skin cancer, and permanent eye damage. It can usually be avoided by non exposure to the sun for long periods of time, or using sun protection when staying outside. For objects which need to be placed outdoors, you can opt to buy a UV-protected roofing material like polycarbonate sheets. A skylight roofing material like polycarbonate helps protect the materials and people underneath. All types of polycarbonate (solid polycarbonate, twin wall polycarbonate, corrugated, embossed and corrugated) are equipped with a coat of UV protection that is invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen when placed under a microscope. But what can UV protection really do in a polycarbonate sheet?
What it does not:
The UV protection layer will not prevent heat from entering the structure. Temperature is not related to UV. As mentioned earlier, it cannot be seen or felt, it can appear on a bright sunny day or a sundown afternoon. Why then is it hot in an area where polycarbonate roofing is placed? Heat is correlated to how much light is allowed to the area. A polycarbonate with maximum transparency will then allow more heat, compared to a material which completely covers it.
What it does:
The polycarbonate UV layer performs a dual protection of the material itself, as well as the objects and people underneath. The layer protects the polycarbonate material from immediate material disintegration and also helps it last for a long time, even when constantly exposed under the sun. While it blocks harmful UV light, it allows visible light to pass through so that there is proper sunlight without the harmful effects of UV radiation. A good example for this is the application of solid polycarbonate as a swimming pool cover.
The same concept is seen in the application of polycarbonate sheets in a greenhouse. Since sunlight is needed for the plants to grow, a transparent material like polycarbonate that keeps light in, but prevents the harmful UV radiation from penetrating is a must. The dual protection of a polycarbonate sheet is a clear advantage against other transparent roofing materials. You can find out more about its benefits and application by reading our blogs and messaging us. Contact a trusted polycarbonate supplier in the Philippines now.