Public Health Implications of Solar UV Exposure during Extreme Cold and Hot Weather Episodes in 2018 in Chilton, South East England

Abstract

Consideration of the implications of solar UV exposure on public health during extreme temperature events is important due to their increasing frequency as a result of climate change. In this paper public health impacts of solar UV exposure, both positive and negative, during extreme hot and cold weather in England in 2018 were assessed by analysing environmental variations in UV and temperature. Consideration was given to people’s likely behaviour, the current alert system and public health advice. During a period of severe cold weather in February-March 2018 UV daily doses were around 25–50% lower than the long-term average (1991–2017); however, this would not impact on sunburn risk or the benefit of vitamin D production. In spring 2018 unseasonably high temperatures coincided with high UV daily doses (40–75% above long-term average) on significant days: the London Marathon (22 April) and UK May Day Bank Holiday weekend, which includes a public holiday on the Monday (5–7 May). People were likely to have intermittent excess solar UV exposure on unacclimatised skin, causing sunburn and potentially increasing the risk of skin cancers. No alerts were raised for these events since they occurred outside the alerting period. During a heat-wave in summer 2018 the environmental availability of UV was high—on average of 25% above the long-term average. The public health implications are complex and highly dependent on behaviour and sociodemographic variables such as skin colour. For all three periods Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) positive correlation between maximum daily temperature and erythema-effective UV daily dose. Public health advice may be improved by taking account of both temperature and UV and their implications for behaviour. A health impact-based alert system would be of benefit throughout the year, particularly in spring and summer.

Effect of Ultraviolet on Outdoor Workers

“…The results found the relationship between them is influential. The p-value is less than 0.001, which is consistent with the results [25] [3].…”

“…Therefore, workers should avoid working in the sun or using one of the personal UV protection methods, as shown in "Figure 4" Compared to UV exposure with the highest UV index every day "Table 6", The results found a relationship between them is influential. The pvalue is less than 0.001, consistent with the results [24] [3]. As well as, The UV exposure with the temperature for every day.…”

“…Ultraviolet has a wavelength λ from 100 nm to 400 nm [2]. The solar ultraviolet radiation, including UVA 315 nm -400 nm and UVB 280 nm -315nm, both has a significant effect on human health [3] as well as UVC less than 280nm [4]. UVA is only fractionally affected, but Atmospheric ozone shields life at the earth's surface from about 90 percent of the UVB and almost all of the UVC [5].…”

RETRACTED ARTICLE: The assessment of the protective impact of spidroin extract against UV-A radiation damage by using earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa) as a robust human skin model via macroscopic and histological observations

“…Regarding the effects of phototoxicity, the contribution of different groups in the present study showed that exposed earthworms to UV-A caused the damage; this was the product of the work on earthworm Metaphire Posthuma (Chuang et al 2004;Misra et al 2005), who worked on three species of earthworms (Amynthas gracilis, Pontoscolex corethrurus, and Metaphire Posthuma) which, was explained the destructive impact of ultraviolet radiation on earthworms. In addition, some researchers addressed the health effects of solar UV exposure, which is complex and dependent on different sociodemographic variables, including skin colour (Rendell et al 2020). Earthworms (Lumbricus castaneus) were exposed to UV-C for 15 min each day showed little alterations (Abd El-Aziz and Ali 2021).…”

Impact of High Solar UV Radiant Exposures in Spring 2020 on SARS‐CoV‐2 Viral Inactivation in the UK†

“…Public Health England (PHE) has a network of ground-based solar monitoring sites across the UK and overseas and additional spectral solar monitoring capabilities at Chilton, UK. These are used for health research and the development of advice regarding sun exposure (8)(9)(10)(11)(12).…”