Summer’s coming and we’ve already found a few outdoor gadgets for you such as the portable computerised cocktail dispenser, and the roll up barbeque grill. Here’s an essential, complementary gadget for those of you who hope to spend some time in the sun; an UV meter that measures your exposure to ultra violet rays.

Unless you’ve been on a different planet for the last few years, you’ll probably be aware that this one is suffering from a depletion of its ozone layer. Ozone layer depletion has reduced its effect as a natural barrier against the harmful effects of UV rays, particularly UV-B light, which can cause premature aging of the skin, or even skin cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society the rate of growth of skin cancer seen in the 1980’s has slowed from 6% per annum to just under 3% in 2005 – no doubt due to improved awareness of the importance of protecting exposed skin, by wearing a hat and sun cream, for example, and the importance of getting skin blemishes looked at by a doctor. Nonetheless just over 62,000 people in the US alone are expected to develop some form of skin cancer during 2006.

For £13 this gadget is small money for people spending long periods in the sun, or even just on holiday with the family. Just 15 minutes in the Mediterranean sun is enough to cause sunburn on sensitive, unprotected skin.

I’m not sure how much you can trust the device, I’m certainly not saying that you should use the UV meter as a replacement for sensible precautions against UV over-exposure, but maybe you might want to have a think about buying something like this.

The UV exposure meter from Gadget Store.