The Dead Sea, Israel vs. Kangal, Turkey - UV radiation

Every human being is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Small amounts of UV radiation are very beneficial, since they play an essential role in the production of a vitally needed vitamin D.

UVB is extremely helpful for treating psoriasis, since the UVB kills and slows down the over-active inflammatory T-cells in the skin of the people with psoriasis.

However, overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for two major health problems: skin cancer and cataract. For the people with psoriasis UV radiation possesses one additional risk - a severe sunburn may cause a so-called Koebner phenomena - appearance of the new psoriatic lesions on the spot of a skin trauma.

Sun emissions include light, heat and ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface is mainly composed of UVA with a small UVB component. UV radiation is invisible to the human eye.

UV radiation levels are mainly influenced by:

• Sun elevation: the higher the sun in the sky, the higher the UV radiation. Thus UV radiation varies depending on the time of day and time of year.
• Latitude: the closer to equatorial regions, the higher the UV radiation.
• Altitude: the higher the altitude, the higher the UV radiation.
• Cloud cover: the less the Cloud cover, the higher the UV radiation.

In the case of Kangal, Turkey and The Dead Sea, Israel, two factors from the list above are very different - the altitude and the cloud cover.