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Ultra-violet index to reach risky levels in Myanmar

Xinhua, March 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

The ultra-violet (UV) index in several regions of Myanmar is reaching to dangerous levels as it approaches hot summer, the country's former top weather expert said on Thursday.

U Tun Lwin, former director-general of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said harmful UV index is forecast to reach over 12 in regions including Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawady and Taninthayi Regions as well as Kayah, Kayin, Mon and Shan States.

UV indexes between 10 and 11 are harmful and pose severe health risk generally, he said.

At high levels, UV radiation can damage the skin and eyes overtime. Worldwide, some 12 to 15 million people become blind annually from cataracts, of which up to 20 percent may be caused or exacerbated by sun exposure, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Over the past two years, the index for summer in Yangon saw a rise to even nearly 13.

People living in the country's commercial cities may be trapped in the scorching heat and are warned of skin cancer and permanent blindness. Endi