AbstractMany solar UV measurements, either terrestrial or personal, weight the raw data by the erythemal action spectrum. However, a problem arises when one tries to estimate the benefit of vitamin D3 production based on erythemally weighted outdoor doses, like those measured by calibrated R‐B meters or polysulphone badges, because the differences between action spectra give dissimilar values. While both action spectra peak in the UVB region, the erythemal action spectrum continues throughout the UVA region while the previtamin D3 action spectrum stops near that boundary. When one uses the previtamin D3 action spectrum to weight the solar spectra (Deff), one gets a different contribution in W m−2 than what the erythemally weighted data predicts (Eeff). Thus, to do proper benefit assessments, one must incorporate action spectrum conversion factors (ASCF) into the calculations to change erythemally weighted to previtamin D3‐weighted doses. To date, all benefit assessments for vitamin D3 production in human skin from outdoor exposures are overestimates because they did not account for the different contributions of each action spectrum with changing solar zenith angle and ozone and they did not account for body geometry. Here we describe how to normalize the ratios of the effective irradiances (Deff/Eeff) to get ASCF that change erythemally weighted to previtamin D3‐weighted doses. We also give the ASCF for each season of the year in the northern hemisphere every 5° from 30°N to 60°N, based on ozone values. These ASCF, along with geometry conversion factors and other information, can give better vitamin D3 estimates from erythemally weighted outdoor doses.

The relatively small long-term change in ultraviolet (UV) radiation is compared with its substantial geographical variability. Action spectra published by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) are then used to examine diurnal, seasonal, and latitudinal variations in erythemally-weighted (sunburning) UV—a health risk, and vitamin D-weighted UV—a health benefit. Vitamin D weighted UV is more strongly dependent on ozone and solar zenith angle (SZA). Consequently, its diurnal, seasonal, and geographic variability is more pronounced than for erythemally weighted UV. An algorithm is developed and used to relate vitamin D production to the widely-used UV Index. The exposure times needed to produce erythema, or sufficient vitamin D, are calculated as a function of UV Index1 (UVI), using published physiological criteria. In the summer at noon, there should be sufficient UV at mid-latitudes to photosynthesize optimal vitamin D in ∼1 minute for full body exposure, whereas skin damage occurs after ∼15 minutes. Further, while it should be possible to photosynthesize vitamin D in the winter at mid latitudes, the amount of skin that must be exposed is larger than on the hands and face alone. This raises the question of whether the action spectrum for vitamin D production is correct, since it has been reported that production of vitamin D is not possible in the winter at mid-latitudes. Because the benefits of UV depend on the area of skin exposed, it is preferable to expose larg

spectrum. This gives a weighted figure called the Diffey-weighted UV irradiance (DUV) or the erythemal dose rate. Since the normalization weight is 1 The ultraviolet index, or UV index, is an international standard measurement of the strength of the sunburn-producing ultraviolet (UV) radiation at a particular place and time. It is primarily used in daily and hourly forecasts aimed at the general public. The UV index is designed as an open-ended linear scale, directly proportional to the intensity of UV radiation, and adjusting for wavelength ba T… The UV index is a number linearly related to the intensity of sunburn-producing UV radiation at a given point on the Earth's surface. It cannot be simply related to the irradiance (measured in W/m2) because the UV of greatest concern occupies a spectrum of wavelengths from 295 to 325 nm, and shorter wavelengths have already been absorbed a great deal when they arrive at the Earth's surface. However, skin damage from sunburn is related to wavelength, the shorter wavelengths being much more damaging. The UV power spectrum (expressed as watts per square meter per nanometer of wavelength) is therefore multiplied by a weighting curve known as the CIE-standard McKinlay–Diffey erythemal action spectrum. There are some older formulas for the spectrum, resulting in differences of up to 2%. The result is integrated over the whole spectrum. This gives a weighted figure called the Diffey-weighted UV irradiance (DUV) or the erythemal dose rate. Since the normalization weight is 1 for wavelengths between 250nm and 298nm, a source of a given DUV irradiance causes roughly as much sunburn as a radiation source emitting those wavelengths at the same intensity, although inaccuracies in the spectrum definition and varying reactions by skin type may mean this relationship does not actually hold. When the index was designed, the typical midday summer sunlight was around 250 mW/m2. Thus, for convenience, the DUV is divided by 25 mW/m2 to produce an index nominally from 0 to 11+, though ozone depletion is now resulting in higher values. To illustrate the spectrum weighting principle, the incident power density in midday summer sunlight is typically 0.6 mW/(m2) at 295 nm, 74 mW/(m2) at 305 nm, and 478 mW/(m2) at 325 nm. (Note the huge absorption that has already taken place in the atmosphere at short wavelengths.) The erythemal weighting factors applied to these figures are 1.0, 0.22, and 0.003 respectively. (Also note the huge increase in sunburn damage caused by the shorter wavelengths; e.g., for the same irradiance, 305 nm is 22% as damaging as 295 nm, and 325 nm is 0.3% as damaging as 295 nm.) Integration of these values using all the intermediate weightings over the full spectral…

In the study, the different methods to measure the solar ultraviolet radiation are compared. The methods included are spectroradiometric, erythemally weighted broadband and multi-channel measurements. The comparison of the different methods is based on a literature review and assessments of optical characteristics of the spectroradiometer Optronic 742 of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) and of the erythemally weighted Robertson-Berger type broadband radiometers Solar Light models 500 and 501 of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and STUK. An introduction to the sour