India: UV radiation at critical levels in Chhattisgarh

By Anuja Jaiswal | TOI

If the data on a well-known international weather forecasting website, accuweather.com is to be believed, the Ultra Violet (UV) radiation in Chhattisgarh is at critically high levels, exposing residents to the risks of various skin ailments, including cancer.

While the local meteorological department does not collect any data on daily UV radiation, popularly known as UV Index, the website indicates that for the past four days the levels across the state have been recorded above 11, which in meteorological parlance is dubbed as “Extreme” and coded with purple colour.

In fact the UV level was the highest today at 13 in all major cities of the state, including Raipur and Bilaspur.

According to Dr ASRAS Shastri, Professor Department of Agrometerology, Indira Gandhi Agriculture University, said that many factors go into calculating the UV index for a particular area on a given day, including the elevation of the location, cloud coverage for that day, the amount of ozone in the atmosphere over that area and skin’s sensitivity to UV radiation.

He said the scale typically runs from 0-10, with 0 being the lowest risk of UV exposure (night time) to 10, when the conditions for radiation are at their peak. Ratings of 11 or higher are typically only used in areas where there is significant damage to the ozone layer. The higher the number, the more at risk you are, and the more safety measures you should be taking.

Dr Vivek Chaudhary, Cancer specialist and in-charge of Cancer Institute, Raipur said that in Chhattisgarh, sunlight is high, dry heat and due to high industries pollution, UV rays are at extreme level and that is the reason skin cancer cases are high in number. In 2008, only 19 cases were reported while 42 cases were reported in 2012. He said it’s more common in those who are exposed to sunlight for long hours.

Dr AK Chandrakar, head of Ophthalmology department, Dr BR Ambedkar hospital said that in Chhattisgarh, people get cataract at early age (around 40-42) than their counterparts in other states. “We believe that exposure to sunlight, because of work, is one of the biggest risk factors. There has been no study indicating radiation as a risk factor in India. But there is medical literature abroad that shows that it can lead to early cataract.

According to WHO, excessive exposure to UV radiation caused loss of approximately 1.5 million DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) and 60000 premature deaths in the year 2000. It states that between 50% and 90% of skin cancers are due to UV radiation.

What is surprising is that while UV radiation alerts are issued by weather monitoring agencies in all advanced countries, advising people to take adequate precautions, the meteorological here has no clue about it. According to officials here, recording UV radiations does not fall within their purview.

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