Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Table A-2: ENVIRONMENT CANADA SKIN TYPES AND REACTION TO THE SUNa

UV Index

Vantage Pro2 can also display UV Index, an intensity measurement first defined by Environment Canada and since been adopted by the World Meteorological Organization. UV Index assigns a number between 0 and 16 to the current UV intensity. The US EPA categorizes the Index values as shown in table A-3. The lower the number, the lower the danger of sunburn. The Index value published by the U.S. National Weather Ser-vice is a forecast of the next day’s noontime UV intensity. The Index val-ues displayed by the Vantage Pro2 are real-time measurements.

Table A-2: ENVIRONMENT CANADA SKIN TYPES AND REACTION TO THE SUNa

Skin Type Skin Color History of Tanning & Sunburning

I White Always burns easily, never tans

II White Always burns easily, tans minimally

III Light Brown Burns moderately, tans gradually

IV Moderate Brown Burns minimally, tans well

V Dark Brown Burns rarely, tans profusely

VI Black Never burns, deep pigmentation

a. Developed by T. B. Fitzpatrick of the Harvard Medical School. More about the

Fitzpatrick Skin Types is available in: Fitzpatrick TB. Editorial: the validity and

practicality of sun-reactive skin types I through VI. Arch Dermatol 1988;

124:869-871

UV Dose that

Causes Sunburn

All Burn

Some burn

III

Skin Type (Environment Canada)

Skin Phototype (EPA)

UV Dose (MEDs)

123456

20 40 60 80 100 120mJ/cm2

UV Dose and Sunburn - Use this plot to estimate the MED dose leading to sunburn. A person with

Type II (Environment Canada) skin type might choose 0.75 MED as the maximum for the day; in

contrast, a person with Type V (Environment Canada) Skin Type might consider 2.5 MEDs a reason-

able dose for the day. NOTE: the Vantage Pro2 assumes a Fitzpatrick (Environment Canada) Skin

Type of II.