Introduction
Vitamin D is one of the vital diet requirements which is absorbed through the skin and prevents the formation of rickets among human beings. Therefore, exposure to the sun is always very healthy. However, lately people have discovered that due to the depletion of the Ozone layer (due to addition of greenhouse gases), human beings are now exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays known to cause sun burns, premature wrinkling of the skin and also the dreadful skin cancer.
To prevent the skin cancer and other side effects, there have been campaigns of using waterproof sunscreen lotions such as the Sunblock which is a product that provides a coating on the skin which prevents sun burns and sun damages (Cooper 121).
To prevent early exposure of their children to the harmful Ultraviolet rays, parents have been applying sunscreen lotions to their bodies but despite the good functions that these lotions serve at protecting people skins, if used carelessly it can lead to disaster. For example if a waterproof sunscreen lotion enters into a child or anyone eyes, it is hard to remove them using water since they are water proof and if there is reluctance in contacting the doctors, it can cause permanent blindness.
Summary Description
Waterproof sunscreen lotions are good at protecting your child against skin cancer which can be caused by the exposure to the sunlight, but while many people use the lotions in their day to day life, it is important to note that there are negative repercussions if the lotions are not used well. As shown in the case of the parent who applied a waterproof sunscreen lotion on his son and without knowing the son got some into his eyes before it had dried, most likely from his hands.
The sunscreen lotion caused irritation and the child cried since it was hurting but the use of water to help ease the irritation could not work since the lotion was waterproof. When he called the Poison Control Centre and explained what had happened, they told him to take the child to Emergency Room where on arrival without wasting time, they applied some chemicals in the boy’s eyes to dilute and remove the waterproof sunscreen.
For the first time, the parent realized that people do lose their eyes from the effects of waterproof sunscreen as it burns the eyes completely and although his son lost his eyesight for two days, at least he was lucky to recover fully.
The parents later called the sunscreen company and informed them about the problem, where the management admitted the problem but they said skin cancer was more serious than blindness thus the continued ignorance. They also argued out that they can’t warn the parents because their products would lose market due to fear. The parent then suggested that they should thus change the ingredients used in making the lotion.
To show the seriousness of this matter, the parents did a huge article warning other parents of the danger their kids were exposed to when using the waterproof sunscreen lotions but knowing that waterproof sunscreen use could not stop, they warned them not to stop using it but just be careful that their kids don’t touch their eyes at least for 15 minutes after applying and if done accidentally they should always contact Emergency Rooms at once.
Explanation
The article is trying to warn other parents who apply lotions to their children of the impending disaster they expose their children to if not applied well or if the sunscreen lotion got into the child’s eyes.
This is clearly given by the situation the writer found himself in when his son touched his eyes with the waterproof sunscreen. Even after trying to apply water in the boy’s eyes nothing seemed to work and he had to contact the Poisons Control Centre who directed him to visit the Emergency Room immediately as his son could be in danger of loosing eyesight.
To make sure that every parent got this information, the parents did a huge article on the matter in the city, and then visited several newsrooms warning the parents of the risks involved though informing them not to stop using the lotion but use it carefully.
Comment
With the parents having been warned, there is likelihood of reduced use of the waterproof sunscreen lotion. Parents might shift to using sunscreen lotions which are not water proof as water can help in diluting the chemicals before reaching the hospitals for proper medication and thus reducing the adverse effects.
The parents are also likely to be more careful in the roles they play on their children upkeep because if not careful, poor storage of certain substances such as the waterproof sunscreen can lead to grave dangers to the children who might use them carelessly without knowing.
Evaluation
The text is persuasive due to the fact that the author of the article states that to show the seriousness of the matter, he contacted the sunscreen company and enquired why they produced substances which they knew were dangerous if carelessly used without warning the users.
The parents went further and did a huge article in the city warning against the same, and finally visited newsrooms warning the parents of the risks involved. However, this persuasiveness is lost when he informs the parent not to stop using the sunscreen they be just careful that it never find its way in their children eyes.
Conclusion
It is healthy and important to use waterproof sunscreen for protection against cancer which results from sun exposure but it is also advisable to use water proof sunscreen carefully as its contact with sensitive body organs, such as, the eyes can lead to cases of blindness if not attended on time.
Work Cited
Cooper, Donald. Fundamentals of Search and Rescue. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2005.