UV Indexes and White People

These actually matter. White people aren't used to high UV indexes. They come from the Northern Lands, clinging to the pole of our planet, where the sun is dimmed by the tilt of the earth. Their DNA is exposed in semi-translucent skin, to the dimmer pole-sun. Their skin does not contain enough of the armor of melanin, that shields DNA against our Star's radiation in the more equatorial latitudes.

e.g. in London in late April the UV index maxes out at a 3.  In Phoenix on the same day, its a 9. Being closer to the equator makes a huge difference. Then throw in the never-ending blue sky, and even compared to Dallas TX, we have no "off" days where cloud cover keeps the UV to a 3. Its unrelenting sun all the time. In June and July, Phoenix tops out at 11/12. 

There is a world of difference between living closer to the Arctic Circle, or to the Tropic of Cancer. You wouldn't think that the difference between latitude 32 (Phoenix) and latitude 52 (London) would more than quadruple the UV exposure. But it does. Like poking an orange with a pin, the angle you poke the orange peel greatly changes how much of the pin you can insert into the peel before you hit the inner fruit. Likewise, the more "orange peel" atmosphere that the sun's rays have to traverse to reach us, can greatly reduce the amount of UV that reaches us.

 The swarthy Mediterraneans of Europe correlate to the latitude of America's 'far-northern' Massachusetts & New England. Arizona and Texas, correlate to Northern Africa and the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, etc. where people either have more melamine-rich skin or drape themselves in fabric like the Tuscan Raiders. Or both.

Daily UV index matters, note the peak hours. Playing outside for 2 hours before 10am exposes you to the same amount of UV as 10 minutes at noon.

Play outside before 10am, and after 4pm.

UV index for April in Phoenix. As the peak index rises with the summer, the entire graph shifts up in exposure, but it always keeps this general shape.

 

Roughly, equinoxes are March 20th and Sept 20th. Solstices are June 20th and Dec 20th. So from a UV exposure perspective, the danger zone is April through September. 

UV index changing with the months. 

Note how Phoenix maxes out almost at a 12. I think the highest London gets is a 6. But given how math works, shift the peak up 2x, exposes you to more than 2x the total UV. E.g. a 12" pizza is more than twice the size of a 6" pizza.

Since the kids are inside from 8 to 4 June through September (too hot to be in the sunlight), the "danger zone" is really March & April, October. This is when it feels nice and cool, but the UV index is still very high (compared to the Northern latitudes to which their ancestors grew up.) So they aren't programmed to avoid sunlight at these nice temperatures, even though the UV index is frying their DNA through their translucent northern skin. This is when insisting on hats is very important.

"Getting a tan" isn't a sign that all is well for a white kid. (My Jenny can tan to Pakistan or indigenous Mexican levels). That melamine deposit is like the reconquista. The UV has already come in and won a major victory. The damaged body then fought back, and erected a make-shift wall of melanin to protect the DNA for the rest of the summer. But there has already been damage done. Battles lost, DNA messed with, collagen destroyed. And the white kids that don't tan, merely means they lose that battle over and over, and can never even muster that makeshift wall.

But kids hate hats.

So be smart. Strategize shade. You'll never get it all, aim for the 80% rule. 

Study them in their natural habitat. Ascertain their habits, where they hang out. And then alter that habitat. Strategize ways to shade where they play 80% of the time. Study their playing patterns. (E.g. make sure the tree's shadow hits the playset after school hours. Put structure near the kiddie pool that shade it in afternoon, when the kids are there. Pay attention to how they play. (e.g. In the early spring, secure some shade cloth to the top of the swing set with cable and T-posts for shade at noon, since the cool weather means they play outside all day, even during peak UV hours, in the summer, note where do they hangout in those cool-but-dangerous hours)

Rig shade (or better yet, grow shade trees) over the key areas they spend 80% of their time. (e.g. the mulberry tree shades the playset in the morning, so I need to rig up a shade cloth whose shadow will hit the playset in the afternoon).  Be aware of how sun angles and seasonal shift move where the shade from the shade cloth (or tree) ends up.

 I plant trees, and then rig up shade, because trees take time to grow. (Pakistan Mulberry Trees will grow SUPER FAST in Phoenix, if you water them a lot)

Shade ideas: 

1. The fastest option, T-posts (8 footers), cable, and shade cloth.
2. Pretty options: Cattle Panel arches anchored with T-posts, with fast-growing vines, and a bit of shade cloth on top while waiting for the vine to grow. (You can wire 2 arches together for a super big arch, depending on your local windspeeds)
   
3. Classy Options: 4x4 lumber posts whose end grain is painted with outdoor paint (or pressure treated), affixed with decking screws, and possibly 2x4 braces. Set in the ground with gravel (better than concrete, drains better). Screw in screw-eyes and hang shade cloth.
   
4. Really Classy and Pretty Option: Grow a grape vine up wood/cattle panel trellis
5. Super super $$$ option: Build a Pergola or Gazebo
   

Simple Lifelong Strategies for White Children:

1. Make a habit to put a hat on before going outside. Especially in nice-feeling weather, where they won't instinctively seek shade.
2. Make a habit of going outside in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Morning sunlight is so beautiful. Be outside when the birds are most excited. (If mosquitos are a problem, long loose pants that cover the ankles work really well. I will even sew extensions to my pants that don't cover the ankles. Mosquitos mostly go for my ankles and calves for some reason. I think I move my arms enough they don't aim for them as much)
3. Study them in their natural habitat, and adjust their habitat with shade (via tree or cloth) wherever the kids play 80% of the time in higher UV times of day.

A very white baby. She doesn't even have hair to shield that very white head from the UV rays.