Operation shadow warrior: a quantitative analysis of the ultraviolet radiation protection demonstrated by various...

In the last 10 years, the scientific community and the media have highlighted the depletion of atmospheric ozone and the subsequent increase in ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that penetrates to the earth's surface. This UVR is associated with problems such as sunburn, photoaging, cataracts, and skin cancer. In the United States, skin cancer is among the top three reported cancers, and its incidence is increasing rapidly. Physicians agree that human exposure to UVR should be controlled by protecting the skin or limiting its exposure to UVR. As military physicians, our mission is to protect the fighting force and educate the command on the best possible course of action to accomplish this mission. In this paper, I quantitatively demonstrate that wearing the inventoried sun, woodland, type III cover is a far superior course of action when a commander desires a UVR counter measure for the fighting force.