Very high erythemal doses of ultraviolet radiation around solar noon measured in Arica, northern Chile

Abstract

News media and meteorological bulletins generally report on the ultraviolet index (UVI) to prevent overexposure to the sun. However, this information does not reflect the accumulated damage to the skin induced by the total amount of UVR (ultraviolet radiation) accumulated over time, known as erythemal dose (ED). This study analyzed the UVI and ED measured at ±30 and ±60 minutes around solar noon (SN) in Arica, North of Chile. The results show that SN ED exceeded the Minimum Erythema Dose (MED) for all the skin types. During the summer, shorts exposures to sunlight for up to 1 hour may result in sun exposure up to 10 times greater than the acceptable occupational safe limit for unprotected human skin.