Skin cancer from natural UV radiation New metric for determination and assessment of exposure

Background Activity-related data on occupational and private UV exposure as a basis for the retrospective review of criteria for the occupational disease No. 5103 and also the prospective modeling of other possible epidemiological relationships, have so far only been insufficiently available. The aim of this work was to develop an exposure register by systematic measurements of UV exposure in occupational and leisure time, which would serve as a basis for the introduction of a new and much more accurate metric, that can be applied in the occupational disease recognition process. Material and methods As part of the GENESIS UV measurement campaigns, UV exposure has been recorded during occupational activities using a data logger dosimeter since 2014. To complete the data basis, the measurement of UV exposure has also been extended to the private sector since 2019. Practical calculation examples for retrospective exposure determination in the occupational disease recognition process are used to highlight the differences between the old and new metrics. Results The clear advantages of the new metric are particularly evident for more detailed occupational exposure scenarios, such as changing work conditions or part-time employment. It becomes clear that the previously used metric mostly inadequately reflected the real spectrum of occupational exposure scenarios. Conclusion It could be shown that introduction of the new metric for the occupational disease recognition process allows a much more differentiated exposure assessment of occupational exposure and is thus more suitable for individual exposure assessment. The reason for this is primarily the significantly more extensive database of the underlying values.