Outdoor work and solar radiation exposure: Evaluation method for epidemiological studies

摘要

Background: The health risk related to an excessive exposure to solar radiation (SR) is well known. The Sun represents the mainexposure source for all the frequency bands of optical radiation, that is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging between100 nm and 1 mm, including infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV) and visible radiation. According to recent studies, outdoorworkers have a relevant exposure to SR but few studies available in scientific literature have attempted to retrace a detailed historyof individual exposure. Material and Methods: We propose a new method for the evaluation of SR cumulative exposureboth during work and leisure time, integrating subjective and objective data. The former is collected by means of an intervieweradministrated questionnaire. The latter is available through the Internet databases for many geographical regions and throughindividual exposure measurements. The data is integrated into a mathematical algorithm, in order to obtain an esteem of theindividual total amount of SR the subjects have been exposed to during their lives. Results: The questionnaire has been testedfor 58 voluntary subjects. Environmental exposure data through online databases has been collected for 3 different places in Italyin 2012. Individual exposure by electronic UV dosimeter has been measured in 6 fishermen. A mathematical algorithm integratingsubjective and objective data has been elaborated. Conclusions: The method proposed may be used in epidemiological studiesto evaluate specific correlations with biological effects of SR and to weigh the role of the personal and environmental factors thatmay increase or reduce SR exposure. Med Pr 2016;67(5):577–587