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Katie Rigdon

CCMR - Ask A Scientist! - 2 views

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    The radiation that comes from the sun, known as the solar spectrum, contains the visible sunlight that we see as well as invisible components of "light." The different parts of the solar spectrum have different wavelengths. Some of the solar spectrum is blocked by the earth's atmosphere, including the ozone layer that people are concerned about losing.
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    I thought this article was really interesting as it talks about how different sunscreens differ from each other based on the frequencies of light they absorb.
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    I think I will write my next blog post on this topic so I am going to post a few more links and let me know what you guys think!
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    relating it to chemistry, it would be interesting to look at the different chemical compounds and which one help deflect which uv rays. I think this site mentions para-amino benzoic acids, zinc oxide, and titanium oxide.
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    everyone knows that there's chemistry behind sunscreen but it'd be cool to finally to see HOW the chemistry works! good idea
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    Yeah! It's also kind of interesting because there are two different types of sunscreen: chemical and physical. I can talk about the differences there too!
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    I wonder if the sunscreens that created the thick, white 'goo' is stronger and more efficient than the transparent sunscreens used today. Most bottles of sunscreen say to reapply within a certain number of hours, so it can be interesting to see how older formulas of sunscreen compare to those most commonly used today.
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    That's a really good point, Amanda. Those thick white sunscreens that just show up on your skin opaquely probably helps to protect your skin just by blocking out the sun... Nowadays, since no one wants to have gross, whitish stuff on their face, sunblock has become clear so that you can't see it. I think they protect you from the sun by either absorbing the rays, like with oxybenzones, or reflecting the sun in tiny particles of metal oxides. Changing sunscreen to be transparent was probably for aesthetic reasons, but which way is better for sun protection? Is just straight up blocking out the sun with an opaque covering better or are these new, fancier ways better...
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    The Nanomaterials article above mentions something about using smaller particles between 20-200nanometers which make the lotions nearly clear. Because of this, I would hypothesize that it is not as effective. In addition, continuing with this topic, (despite this being from the above article) the nanoparticles seem to have a negative effect on the aquatic life and their environments.
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    hmmm interesting that you say that we could tie in environmental effects into one of our blog posts maybe? Perhaps about the chemical compounds in our personal products, and how they affect the environment? I think sunscreen is a big one, because a lot of the time, people just go into the water right after they put it on, so it can come off into the water and affect aquatic life. Good idea
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