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The section Optical Radiation takes up current research questions from the field in order to examine them within an overarching framework and develop practical solutions that are then made available to a wider public. This, too, includes obtaining information on workers' exposure to optical radiation.
Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) account for around three quarters of all diagnosed cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). This makes basal-cell carcinoma the most frequently diagnosed malignant tumour in humans. As with the other non-melanoma skin cancers - squamous cell carcinomas (SSCs) and actinic keratoses (AKs) - solar UV radiation is the primary cause of BCCs.
A doubling of the risk of developing BCC following occupational versus non-occupational exposure has not yet been reliably proven.
One of the most significant limitations of many studies of BCC conducted to date concerns the quantification of the UV exposure on which the studies are based, in both an occupational and non-occupational context.
The aim of the project for re-interpretation of the data from study participants in the FB181 report by means of an extended body of exposure data (in accordance with the new metric) is to apply the new metric to the available data in order to evaluate new approaches for modelling a dose-response relationship for BCC.
Project page of IFA project 4257 (in German only)
Skin cancer caused by solar UV radiation has become a widespread disease in recent years. A systematic review of epidemiological studies revealed a correlation in the first instance between intensive UV exposure and the development of squamous-cell carcinomas (SSCs) and actinic keratoses (AKs) in workers whose activities were performed outdoors and who were exposed to high levels of solar UV radiation. This led to squamous-cell carcinomas of the skin or multiple actinic keratoses of the skin caused by natural UV radiation being included in the list of formally recognized occupational diseases (BKs) as occupational disease (BK) No 5103. In the FB181 project (FF-DGUV-FB181: Malignant skin tumours induced by UV radiation - development and evaluation of criteria for differentiation in insurance legislation between occupational and non-occupational causation, Part 2: Case-control study of the relationship between occupational exposure to UV radiation and skin cancer in cases of squamous-cell carcinoma and basal-cell carcinoma), occupational exposure to UV radiation was determined retrospectively by application of the Wittlich formula, this currently being the standard for suspected cases of occupational disease (BK) 5301 (SSC). Through the GENESIS-UV projects, the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA) has now created detailed registers of exposure for both occupational and non-occupational (uninsured) activities. These registers may considerably facilitate determining of exposure with reference to measured values. Retrospective estimation of occupational exposure is replaced in this procedure by measured exposure values (the "new metric").
The aim of the project for re-interpretation of the data from study participants in the FB181 report by use of an extended body of exposure data is to apply the new metric to the existing dose-response relationship for SSCs.
Project page of IFA project 4256 (in German)
As has been the case for many years, awareness of the risk of skin cancer induced by UV radiation is still poor, despite UV radiation being classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a class 1 carcinogen. It is therefore essential that sufficiently effective preventive measures be taken to protect outdoor workers against exposure to UV radiation. The STOP principle, widely acknowledged and applied in occupational safety and health, also applies to protection against solar UV radiation. In accordance with this principle, technical and organizational protective measures are more effective and therefore take precedence over personal measures. However, practical experience shows that technical and/or organizational measures are often difficult to implement, and also that some parts of the body, such as the hands, face and back of the neck, are often difficult to protect. The use of sunscreen products as a personal protective measure is therefore an important component in the prevention of skin cancer caused by UV radiation. Unfortunately, many sunscreen products also have properties that are disadvantageous, such as stickiness, dirt adhesion and stinging of the eyes. These properties present obstacles to the products’ use in an occupational scenario.
The aim of this research project is therefore to certify particularly suitable sunscreen preparations for occupational use by means of a test specification.
Workers primarily working outdoors are to be made more aware of the topic of protection against UV radiation. Long clothing for protection against the sun is recommended. A number of manufacturers offer UV protective clothing as special protective workwear. In a test conducted under real-case conditions by the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the transport industry, postal logistics and telecommunications (BG Verkehr), workers in the areas of inland shipping, waste disposal, aviation and the postal and parcel services wear long-sleeved shirts or multi-norm overalls featuring UV protection from a number of suppliers during the summer months. The test participants then assess the products by means of a questionnaire. This yields information on the wear comfort and acceptance of UV protective clothing compared to that of standard workwear. Initial evaluation of the results showed that in principle, UV protective clothing was rated favourably in comparison to the usual workwear. However, the majority of participants in the wearing test in the summer of 2021 would prefer not to wear long clothing.
Transmission measurements were conducted on the selected UV protective clothing at the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA). Based on the measurement results, the IFA and the BG Verkehr are jointly to develop recommendations for the selection of UV protective clothing, and for raising awareness for UV protection among workers who work primarily outdoors.
Note on UV protective clothing: long-sleeved shirts (>50% polyester) and multi-norm overalls (99% cotton) were used in the wearing tests conducted by the BG Verkehr in the summers of 2021 and 2022. The clothing used in the wearing tests was made available to the IFA for the purpose of UV transmission measurements. The findings obtained from measurements performed on the overalls can also be applied to trousers made of comparable material.
The use of suitable protective measures for the prevention of skin cancer caused by UV radiation constitutes one of the greatest challenges in practical working life. The measures to be taken, such as the wearing of long clothing and headgear or the use of sunscreen products, are well known. To date, however, these measures have been used little if at all, and particularly not on a regular basis, as they often fail to meet with workers’ acceptance.
It has also been shown repeatedly that many people are not sufficiently aware of the issue of protection against solar radiation and its relevance to an elevated risk of developing skin cancer. One of the most significant problems in this context is that people are often unable to assess and quantify the risk presented by UV radiation adequately in everyday life. To correct this deficit, greater use is now to be made of wearable UV sensors, particularly in non-occupational scenarios.
The German Social Accident Insurance Institutions that are particularly affected, i.e. those whose insured workers are largely to be found in outdoor professions, also regard wearable UV sensors as a means of promoting prevention in this area. Since their advent, we have increasingly been asked whether these devices are suitable for prevention purpose in the occupational field.
In principle, wearable UV sensors can be a suitable tool for raising awareness or for prevention purposes. However, the accuracy of the information they provide is unclear.
For this reason, a selected wearable UV sensor was to be tested in direct comparison with the personal dosimeters used for the GENESIS-UV measurements. The incident UV radiation is measured by the selected wearable UV sensor itself. The data is processed further in a mobile terminal device (smartphone or tablet). An app on the terminal device uses the ozone value specific to the location (sourced from a remote server) to combine the measurement data to form a UV exposure value based on the UV index. This value is then displayed in the app, together with further information on personal UV exposure. The measurements showed that the sensors provided exhibited acceptable deviations in UV exposure, both to each other and to a reference system. However, the wearable UV sensors exhibited reliability problems: measurement failures were frequent, and the link to the terminal device was also prone to failure.
The GENESIS-UV measurement campaign already provides differentiated and robust exposure data suitable for the assessment of occupational exposure to UV radiation during the procedure for investigation of suspected cases of occupational disease. However, there wasn’t enough in-depth knowledge about exposure during leisure time activities. This makes retrospective assessment of the UV exposure of insured persons difficult, as these assessments also necessitate a comparison with exposure during uninsured periods.
The aim of the project was to develop an exposure register for activities carried out during leisure time. The project was intended to yield results that facilitate development of an integrated prevention approach covering and addressing all areas of life, ideally beginning in childhood. In addition, the results can be used during the procedure for investigations into suspected cases of occupational disease for definition of the remainder of the population in the sense of Volume VII, Section 9 (1) of the German Social Code (SGB).
When large-scale measurement campaigns are conducted covering numerous occupations and tasks, structuring of the information on the work and tasks presents difficulties. On the one hand, an adequate body of data must be obtained for each group of persons studied; on the other, the merging of workers into groups for evaluation must not lead to the task-related information on which the study is based being over-generalized. The latter presents the risk of the value obtained for a certain group of occupations or tasks no longer being suitable for application in practice.
A classification system for the exposure of workers to solar radiation during outdoor tasks did not previously exist. Since the measurements conducted with GENESIS-UV (IFA Projects 4207, 4221, 4227) are precise down to the level of the sub-tasks, however, it was necessary for a new classification system to be created. This classification system was to be multi-level, in order to permit interfacing at the topmost level (that of the occupation) to OMEGA (the German system for recording, organizing and use of measured data for workplace exposure to hazardous substances) or ISCO (International Standard Classification of Occupations).
Outdoor workers are exposed to solar UV radiation during their work. Some two to three million workers in Germany are believed to spend over 75% of their working hours outdoors. This definition of “outdoor workers” is arbitrary; workers whose outdoor working hours are below this threshold may still face considerable radiation exposure.
The purpose of this project was to conduct campaigns measuring the occupational UV radiation exposure of workers during their time spent working outdoors. Since this issue is of great interest internationally, the campaigns were conducted in conjunction with partner bodies in other countries.
The weather is a decisive factor regarding exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. To date, no scientific studies have been conducted in which measurements of the UV radiation exposure of individuals by means of dosimeters were cross-referenced to meteorological data.
The objective of this research project was to compare the results of measurements - performed over many years by means of GENESIS-UV - of the workers' exposure to UV radiation with meteorological data, and to answer any remaining questions. These particularly concern the UV index, which was to be examined for its suitability for use by the accident insurance institutions as a possible prevention instrument. The UV index is a measure of sunburn-inducing radiation on a horizontal surface. The project was also to examine whether shadow components during work or periods spent indoors or outdoors can be estimated from measurements obtained with GENESIS-UV.
The exposure of vehicle occupants to ultraviolet radiation is dependent upon the transmission of the radiation through the vehicle’s windows, together with other factors. Vehicle windows take different forms: whereas up to the early 1990s, vehicles were fitted with full-glass windows, laminated products have been used since then, at least for windscreens. The plastic film used in laminated windows absorbs a considerable proportion of the ultraviolet radiation. UV transmission on vehicle windows was measured at a number of sites, namely the scientific collection of defence engineering specimens (WTS) in Koblenz, the museum of postal vehicles in Heusenstamm, and in Ulm and Tönisforst. Apparatus developed in this project was used for testing. This permitted reproducible measurement on windows with a range of curvatures. The results can be found in an (German) IFA Informative publication.
Measuring workers' exposure to various noxious influences is particularly difficult when it requires data to be recorded over longer periods (e.g. months). Constant monitoring of the technology, data transfer, and management of the technology and the downstream databases entails considerable overhead if it is all to be performed at the site of measurement. Where personnel resources are limited, it is virtually impossible to complete such measurement studies on a large scale. The aim is for a system to be developed that solves the above problems. The GENESIS measurement system is designed to fulfil two essential tasks:
GENESIS provides the IFA with a measurement system that can be used to conduct large-scale decentralized measurement campaigns. The efficacy of this system has been demonstrated since 2014 in the form of GENESIS-UV.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is unquestionably the greatest risk factor for the development of non-melanoma skin cancer such as actinic keratoses, squamous-cell carcinomas and basal-cell carcinomas. A software application was developed in conjunction with the German Social Accident Insurance Institutions for recording workers' occupational case histories. The application implements the requirements of the IFA technical information document (PDF, 365 kB, non-accessible) concerning the handling of cases of skin cancer caused by UV radiation and is now employed routinely by the accident insurance institutions. Measurements employing GENESIS-UV conducted in the sister projects have now also permitted comparison between measurement and calculation, the associated creation of a job-exposure matrix, and further development of the criteria for assessment of cases of formally recognized occupational disease (BK) No 5103.
Ergonomics, Physical environmental factors
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