- Title: La Paz installs "solmaforos" to protect residents from blazing sun's UV rays
- Date: 20th November 2015
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (NOVEMBER 20, 2015) (REUTERS) SUNNY STREET IN LA PAZ VARIOUS OF WOMEN HOLDING UMBRELLAS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE SUN PEOPLE LOOKING AT SOLMAFORO CLOSE UP OF OPTIC SENSOR ON SOLMAFORO GENERAL VIEW OF SOLMAFORO PURPLE LIGHT LIT ON SOLMAFORO (EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS BLUE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PURPLE ACCORDING TO THE SCALE) INDICATING EXTREME RADIATION COLOUR
- Embargoed: 5th December 2015 19:43
- Keywords: Bolivia ultraviolet radiation ozone layer La Paz solmaforos UV index
- Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0013A80COZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: La Paz introduced this week two "solmaforos", devices to measure ultraviolet radiation, onto capital streets to help citizens protect themselves in a city known for some of the world's highest radiation levels.
The project was sponsored by the La Paz's mayor's office and the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics (LFA) of the Greater University of San Andres (USMA) where researchers say that La Paz is affected by some of the highest ultraviolet radiation levels in the world.
On Friday (November 20) a campaign to familiarize La Paz residents with the solmaforo was in full swing as staffers from the mayor's office distributed paper hats to pedestrians near the new device.
La Paz's Environmental Secretary, Mariana Dava Von Boeck, was on hand to help teach people about the solmaforo.
"The environmental issue under the umbrella of climate change is that the municipal government of La Paz is adopting a policy of resiliency, of eco-efficiency, but also transversal management of climate and environmental change. In this sense, we have developed a climate agenda in which we are incorporating different levels of the public but also of the municipal government and its structure," she said.
La Paz's altitude - 3,650 metres above sea level (11,975 feet) - is one of the factors contributing to the high UV radiation levels. But LFA researchers said that its location in the Tropical Andes, where the sun's rays hit perpendicularly, and a thinning ozone layer also play into the problem.
Manuel Roca, one of the researchers, explained how shifting weather patterns also affect the intensity and length of UV exposure.
"It's not that the sun is changing. What is changing is the pattern of rain precipitation. For example, if the rains come late then we are going to have a greater quantity of sunny days in the summer when the intensity is greater, it is the maximum of the year. So the incidents of skin cancer or the effects on the eyes will increase," he said.
La Paz's UV index generally ranges from 11 to 17 on an international scale where 11 is considered extreme in countries such as Europe and the United States.
"The scale was developed in high-latitude countries, especially Europe. For this reason, on this scale, 11 is an extreme value - it is a maximum value for them. But for us, 11 is a value on a cloudy day that is not very intense. Normally, during the year - especially in summer - we have an index average of around 14, 13 and on very sunny days like today, this index could rise to 18. And on very extreme days, to 20," explained Roca.
The new "solmaforos" were installed in strategic sections of the city and others will go operational next year, said project officials.
The solmaforos look like traffic lights and are designed to measure radiation so that the public knows what kinds of precautions to take. They use filters and optic sensors to measure the radiation level and intensity. The solmaforo registers five different color-coded levels determined by the World Health Organization - green, low alert; yellow, moderate; orange, high; red, very high; and purple, extreme.
The solmaforos were invented in Chile and introduced into the Chilean cities of Santiago and Antofagasta in 2004. They were soon installed in other cities. Colombia and Peru also have solmaforos in their major cities.
Bolivia launched a public awareness campaign about the dangers of UV radiation in the late 1990s. In 2013, officers from Bolivia's national police force were required to wear wide-brimmed hats called "chuperos" to protect themselves from dangerously high UV levels.
But not everyone is convinced. One student said she couldn't find any appropriate sun protection.
"I don't like hats and I am allergic to sunscreen. Sunglasses don't cover anything and don't do me any good," said Michel Chura.
Another young woman from La Paz said she was wearing sunscreen now but hadn't when she first arrived in La Paz.
"It's [sunscreen] strong. I saw it and I bought it but I wasn't careful in the first few days I was here," said Joselin Machaca.
In 2003, a world record for the highest UV index reading was set at Bolivia's southwestern Licancabur volcano registering 43.3. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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