Racquel

Fox
October 24, 2014
Science 5
UV BEAD LAB

Problem/Background: The sun releases energy through wavelengths, visible light,
infrared radiation (heat), and ultraviolet, UV, radiation, which you cannot see or feel.
Ultraviolet radiation is the shortest wavelength of the three kinds, but also has a
higher energy than visible light. Exposure to UV rays can effect you positively or
negatively, it depends on the ways in which you protect yourself from it.
The amount of UV ray exposure we get from the sun depends on the time of
day it is. If, in the morning and afternoon, your shadow is taller than you are, your
UV exposure is most likely on the low side. If, during midday, your shadow is shorter
than you are, you are definitely being exposed to higher levels of UV radiation.
It is known that exposure to the type of UV ray, UVB, helps your skin produce
a type of vitamin D, which is beneficial for your bones and muscles. However, even
with a benefit for bones and muscles from UV rays, overexposure to UV rays is the
leading cause of skin cancer. The skin damage that causes skin cancer cannot be
reversed once it is there.
The American government has had to make recommendations from
protecting people from the sun, because of how common skin cancer is getting. The
government recommends wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to your
ears, scalp, lips, neck, tops of feet, and nose. That means that people will be safe
from sun exposure 15 times more than they would be without sunscreen. They also
recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to further protect sun
exposure to your face and to prevent sun exposure to your eyes.
Most people want to protect themselves from the sun based on the
government recommendations. People use sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats to
protect themselves because the government recommends that amount. Additionally,
people also wear clothing that covers the spots of skin that are more exposed to the
sun.
Based on the information provided above, my group and I decided to
experiment on whether the different consistencies of the same brand and SPF of a
sunscreen can change the sun absorption.

Question: Does changing the form of a sunscreen, cream or spray, affect the
effectiveness of the sunscreens ability to block UV rays?


Hypothesis: I hypothesize that the different form of a sunscreen will affect the
effectiveness of the sunscreens ability to block UV rays.

Materials:
Spray Sunscreen
Cream Sunscreen
3 Petri Dishes
UV Beads

Fox, Racquel

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 2:36:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:a9:79:5d

Racquel Fox
October 24, 2014
Science 5
UV BEAD LAB

Procedures:

To start our experiment, we first had to get three petri dishes in order to
control the spray sunscreen, lotion sunscreen, and no sunscreen at all. We
put an equal amount of UV beads into the three petri dishes. After that, we
sprayed sunscreen on all sides of the petri dish so no part of the dish was
open to the sun. We then did that with the lotion sunscreen. Then, we timed
the petri dishes for 5 minutes in a spot where the UV rays were definitely
hitting the beads. At the end of the experiment, we saw which petri dish
(spray sunscreen, lotion sunscreen, or no sunscreen) had the darkest UV
beads.


1. Get 3 closed petri dishes
2. Get a handful of UV beads (enough to evenly space into 3 petri dishes)
3. Spray sunscreen on petri dish, cover all of the petri dish
4. Lotion sunscreen on one petri dish, cover all of the petri dish
5. Leave one petri dish clean of sunscreen
6. Bring all three petri dishes outside
7. Time the petri dishes for 5 minutes to see which ones change color faster
8. Take observations throughout the experiment


The variables we needed to control were the sunscreen brand, SPF,
sunscreen consistency, the amount of sunscreen, the amount of UV beads
tested, and the weather. There were many different choices we couldve used
for each of these variables, so we had to find a way to control them.

The independent variable we changed is the type of sunscreen being tested.
Our dependent was the color change of the UV beads. The darker the color of the
beads, the more UV rays were absorbed.

We were testing the amount of UV rays that were absorbed into the
UV beads with the different types of sunscreen. We contained UV beads in a
closed petri dish, then covered the petri dishes, one in spray sunscreen,
cream sunscreen, and one without to see how fast the UV rays affected the
UV beads. We controlled the consistency of the sunscreen used, spray and
cream. We lathered the sunscreen so that no light could get through the petri
dish.
To conduct tests accurately, a control group is necessary. As our
control group, we put 5 UV beads in the dish, covered it, yet put no sunscreen
on it. This was then put outside with the 2 other groups, all with the same
exposure to the sun. We used this unprotected group as a comparison to the

Fox, Racquel

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 2:36:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:a9:79:5d

Racquel Fox
October 24, 2014
Science 5
UV BEAD LAB
sunscreen-coated groups, to see how much less UV was being absorbed by
the protected beads.

We didnt want UV rays to come through the sides of the containers, and be
absorbed by the beads with no resistance. Therefore, we coated the sides with the
sunscreens we tested. This made sure that our tests were accurate, as all UV rays
had to go through the same amount of resistance.



Data: before experiment day set up data tables for recording your data
Control Spray Cream
1 5

2 6

3 6

4 6

5 6

Graph:

Shade (1=Lightest)!

Testing the Effectiveness of Different

Forms of Sunscreen!
6
5
4
3

Control

Spray

Cream

0
1

Time (min)!

Analyze and Conclude (break out into paragraphs that are clear)

Fox, Racquel

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 2:36:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:a9:79:5d

Racquel Fox
October 24, 2014
Science 5
UV BEAD LAB

This lab was an experiment, which showed whether the consistency of a
sunscreen of the same brand and SPF affected the effectiveness of the UV
absorption. We had to generate an experiment that proved our hypothesis to be
either true or false. I hypothesized that the different form of a sunscreen would
affect the effectiveness of the sunscreens ability to block UV rays.
After experimenting for five minutes the effectiveness of a sunscreens ability
to block UV rays, I found that the first petri dish (spray sunscreen) was a 3 on
the scale of UV absorption 1-6, the second petri dish (lotion sunscreen) was a 4
on the scale of UV absorption 1-6, and the third petri dish (no sunscreen) was a 6
on the scale of UV absorption 1-6. My graph shows how the hue of the UV beads
changed per minute. Since the results of the experiment showed that spray
sunscreen had a lower shade than the lotion, the graph supported my
hypothesis, that the different form of a sunscreen would affect the effectiveness
of the sunscreens ability to block UV rays. We found that spray sunscreen tends
to block sun exposure more than lotion sunscreen. Meanwhile, on the
FutureDerm website, (beauty company), they state that spray sunscreen is about
half as effective as lotion sunscreen.
Since we were experimenting on petri dishes, and not actual skin, it is
definitely a possibility that our data could be flawed. The amount of spray
sunscreen on a petri dish and lotion sunscreen on a petri dish could not have
been proportional. According to the Womens Health Magazine, While the
protective ingredients are the same in sprays and lotions, some
evidence suggests you might not use as much of the spray as you do the lotion,
making it less effective(Sunscreen Sprays, Lotions, or Sticks: Which is Best?).
Since two sources say the opposite of our results, I suppose that we put too
much spray sunscreen on the petri dish, and not enough lotion sunscreen on the
other petri dish.
After experimenting with the UV absorption of wearing spray sunscreen, lotion
sunscreen, or no sunscreen at all, I came to the conclusion that even if you choose
spray over lotion, anything is better than no sunscreen at all. Without any
sunscreen, a higher amount of the UV rays are absorbed into your skin, which is a
great risk of skin cancer. Definitely reapply sunscreen throughout the day, especially
at noon, to keep your skin from burning throughout the day.
This lab brought new insights about whether or not sunscreen is necessary or
not and if so, which type I should use; and I definitely ended the lab with new
knowledge and a new understanding of skin protection.


Bibliography:

"Sunscreen Sprays, Lotions, or Sticks: Which Is Best?"Womenshealthmag.com. Web.
28 Oct. 2014.

Fox, Racquel

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 2:36:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:a9:79:5d

Racquel Fox
October 24, 2014
Science 5
UV BEAD LAB
"Is a Spray Sunscreen Really As Effective as a Lotion? - FutureDerm."FutureDerm.
Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

"How Do I Protect Myself from UV Rays?" American Cancer Society. Web. 28 Oct.
2014.

"UV RADIATION." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

"UV Radiation | SunWise | US EPA." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 26
Oct. 2014.

Fox, Racquel

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 2:36:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:a9:79:5d