Individual Extent of Solar UV Exposure in Every Day Life

Abstract

In order to evaluate the possible risk of increasing solar UV exposure in normal persons and in patients with photosensitive skin disorders it is necessary to collect base-line data on individual UV exposures in every day life. The personal daily UV exposure is mainly influenced by environmental factors (e.g. season, weather, degree of latitude) and by behaviour (e.g. profession, social status, leisure time, sports activities). In addition, the constant change of position and direction to the sun requires personal UV monitoring. Using polysulphone film (PSF), the individually biological-effective UV exposure was measured in the course of the year 1996/1997. By a weighting procedure the dosimeter readings were transformed to erythema-effective data. 180 volunteers participated in this study: the age ranged from kindergarten children (5-6 a) to retirement home people (72-85 a) with students (18-25 a) and factory workers (20-60 a) in between. The factory worker group was further divided into individuals with normal or with increased outdoor activities during work or weekends, respectively. In September, December 1996 and February/March, May/June 1997 the photobiological personal UV dosimetry was performed in Dresden/Germany (51° N) in four periods: either throughout two working weeks (10 days) or at the three weekends before, during or after. The individually accumulated UV exposure was compared with the total erythema-effective solar UV exposure by PSF dosimetry and a Robertson-Berger-Meter. Two groups of indoor workers (Dresden, Koln/51° N) and a group of students (Dresden) were controlled by PSF and Biofilm dosimeters simultaneously (part of a common project with the DLR, Institute of Aerospace Medicine Koln/Germany for advanced development of personal UV dosimetry).