A decorative device with a serious purpose, the Sun Alert Ultraviolet Warning Badge is worn on the skin or clothing. In the center of each adhesive-backed patch is a picture of the sun that’s been treated with photo-chemicals. When exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays, the little sun changes from blue (no exposure) to green (some exposure) to yellow (get inside if you’re fair-skinned) to orange (plan for a painful evening with the Noxzema jar).
Manufactured by Xytronyx, Inc., a San Diego biotech firm, the badge comes in versions for unprotected tanning and for children and adults wearing screening agents with a sun-block protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. So far, they’re available in drugstores, supermarkets and discount stores in parts of the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast–but haven’t yet penetrated California, the Sunshine State. The color-coded fire alarms, which cost $3.99 for a packet of five, could become the Mood Rings of 1992-or, taken seriously, they might just save our skins.
