Occupational Exposure to Solar UV Radiation of a Group of Fishermen Working in the Italian North Adriatic Sea

Alberto Modenese, Francesco Pio Ruggieri, Fabio Bisegna, Massimo Borra, Chiara Burattini, Elena Della Vecchia, Carlo Grandi, Anna Grasso, Luca Gugliermetti, Marco Manini, Andrea Militello and Fabriziomaria Gobba
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Alberto Modenese: Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Francesco Pio Ruggieri: Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Fabio Bisegna: Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy
Massimo Borra: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL-DiMEILA), Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
Chiara Burattini: Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy
Elena Della Vecchia: Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Carlo Grandi: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL-DiMEILA), Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
Anna Grasso: Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Luca Gugliermetti: Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy
Marco Manini: Studio Manini, Workers’ Health Surveillance Service, 47841 Cattolica, Italy
Andrea Militello: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL-DiMEILA), Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
Fabriziomaria Gobba: Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: Occupational solar radiation exposure is a relevant heath risk in the fishing sector. Our aim was to provide a detailed evaluation of individual UV exposure in three different fishing activities in Italy, with personal UV dosimeters and a simple formula to calculate the fraction of ambient erythemal UV dose received by the workers. The potential individual UV exposure of the fishermen was between 65 and 542 Joules/m 2 . The percentages of the ambient exposure were estimated between 2.5% and 65.3%. Workers’ UV exposure was mainly influenced by the characteristics of the work activity, the postures adopted, and the type of boats. Overall, our data showed that 43% of the daily measurements could result largely above the occupational limits of 1–1.3 standard erythemal dose (i.e., 100 Joules/m 2 ) per day, in case of exposure of uncovered skin areas. Measurements of individual UV exposure are important not only to assess the risk but also to increase workers’ perception and stimulate the adoption of preventive measures to reduce solar UV risk. Furthermore, the simple method proposed, linking ambient erythemal UV dose to the workers’ exposure, can be a promising tool for a reliable assessment of the UV risk, as time series of environmental UV dose are widely available.

Keywords: solar radiation; ultraviolet radiation; occupational exposure; fishermen; risk evaluation; skin cancer prevention; workers health; exposure assessment; personal dosimetry; occupational safety and health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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