Which type of electromagnetic wave causes sunburn and damages materials?

Which type of electromagnetic wave causes sunburn and damages materials?

• A. Ultraviolet
• B. Infrared
• C. Gamma rays
• D. Radio

Answer: (A)

Photons with enough energy to break chemical bonds drive the kinds of changes that cause sunburn and can degrade materials. Ultraviolet radiation sits above visible light in energy, so its photons can initiate photochemical reactions in skin molecules, leading to inflammation, DNA damage, and sunburn. The same energy can trigger bond-breaking and oxidation in plastics, fabrics, and coatings, causing fading, embrittlement, or cracking over time. Infrared photons don’t have enough energy to disrupt chemical bonds; they primarily impart heat, so they warm surfaces rather than cause the chemical changes behind sunburn. Gamma rays are much more energetic and can cause severe ionization and damage, but they’re not what you get from sunlight at the Earth's surface due to atmospheric shielding. Radio waves have too little energy to affect chemical bonds, so they don’t cause sunburn or similar material damage.

Photons with enough energy to break chemical bonds drive the kinds of changes that cause sunburn and can degrade materials. Ultraviolet radiation sits above visible light in energy, so its photons can initiate photochemical reactions in skin molecules, leading to inflammation, DNA damage, and sunburn. The same energy can trigger bond-breaking and oxidation in plastics, fabrics, and coatings, causing fading, embrittlement, or cracking over time.

Infrared photons don’t have enough energy to disrupt chemical bonds; they primarily impart heat, so they warm surfaces rather than cause the chemical changes behind sunburn. Gamma rays are much more energetic and can cause severe ionization and damage, but they’re not what you get from sunlight at the Earth's surface due to atmospheric shielding. Radio waves have too little energy to affect chemical bonds, so they don’t cause sunburn or similar material damage.