There is no such thing as a playground that does not need a shade. Statistics show us that approximately 80 percent of an individual's total lifetime exposure to ultraviolet light occurs in the first 18 years of life. Without some type of playground shade, a child is bound to get sunburned.
Even more alarming is the medical fact that it only takes 10 minutes for severe sunburn to occur. One blistering sunburn, prior to 18 years of age, has been known to double the risk of children eventually developing melanoma.
Statistics further show us that without consistent playground shade, about 25 percent of all children who younger than 6 years of age, and approximately half of all children who are younger than 13 years of age, will be sunburned to the point of blistering in this way.
Tragically, these statistics currently result in approximately 1 out of every 5 children in the United States growing up to develop from some form of skin cancer later in life. Because of this, skin cancer is the only form of cancer whose rates are increasing and not decreasing.
Many people living in the rainier parts of America often assume that frequent cloud cover is enough to protect their children from ultraviolet light. This could not be further from the truth. Clouds only block about percent of UV radiation.
Keep in mind that the sun is always where it is and clouds are only water vapor that makes it look like it is not there. A considerable amount of visible light always makes it to the ground and allows us to see, and an even greater amount of invisible, harmful light travels right alongside of it.
However, when schools and parks are protected with permanent playground shades, outdoor play areas are turned into cool, safe zones where 95 percent of the sun's ultraviolet light is prevented from
reaching children's skin.
This so drastically improves safety for school children that it directly improves the educational cycle itself. Fewer painful sunburns for kids means fewer trips to the nurse (or trips out of school to the doctor) and more time in the classroom to learn.
In spite of the proven fact that playground shades save children's lives and directly contribute to the learning process, many school districts often hesitate to install them for fear they will ruin the landscape. This is not the case. Today's sophisticated shades are designed with aesthetics in mind. We can provide you with any number of styles, sizes, and colors that will compliment your school or public park.
Schools and public parks are not the only facilities that can benefits from playground shades. Believe it or not, many hospitals use them as well to cover outdoor recreation areas. Recovering hospital patients often need to go outside for fresh air, provided they are stable enough to walk and travel to and from their beds with doctor supervision.
However, these patients DO NOT need sunburn or skin cancer on top of whatever else put them in the hospital!
Another major consumer of playground shades is athletic facilities. They rely on these permanent structures to shield players and fans from both heat and UV radiation. The decorative nature of their design also helps contribute a sense of festivity to any sporting occasion.
Manufacturers make many standard and custom designs to accommodate a number of very specific activity center types. Municipalities use playground shades to protect their amusement parks, water parks, and zoos.
Water parks in particular have a need for extra shade because water reflects UV light and can actually increase the likelihood of sunburn. Because UV radiation breaks down any type of animal, cellular tissue, zoo animals need protection from sunlight just like humans do.
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