Developers Update App to Help Users Avoid Overexposure to Solar UV
An updated version of SunSmart Global UV, a mobile app intended to help outdoor workers and others avoid excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, is available for free from the Apple App and Google Play stores. SunSmart Global UV works by providing daily UV levels for users’ local areas as well as times when sun protection is required. According to the app’s developers, new features include GPS integration, increased global coverage, and support for tablets. A large UV index display on the app’s home screen, the use of Celsius or Fahrenheit temperature units based on device settings, and bug fixes meant to enhance the app’s stability and performance are among the improvements to SunSmart Global UV. The app is also newly available in Arabic in addition to previously available languages including Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
SunSmart Global UV is based on the UV Index, which indicates the expected risk of overexposure to UV radiation from the sun at the earth’s surface on a scale of 1 to 11. World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recommends modifying outdoor activities and using sun protection when the UV Index is 3 or above. Users of SunSmart Global UV can track UV levels and receive personalized sun protection advice for up to 10 locations, an International Labor Organization (ILO) news update explains.
“Every year 1.6 billion workers, in particular those working outdoors, are exposed to solar UV radiation at work, and this number is likely to increase with climate change,” says Joaquim Pintado Nunes, chief of ILO’s Occupational Safety and Health and Working Environment Branch. “There is a critical need to raise workers’ awareness about the risks they face due to unprotected exposure to solar UV.”
The SunSmart Global UV app was first released in 2022 by ILO, the United Nations Environment Programme, WHO, and the World Meteorological Organization. It was developed by Cancer Council Victoria, a nonprofit organization in Australia, and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, a government agency. Learn more on ILO’s website.