The factsheets on our website are a source of information about carcinogenic substances. 10 new factsheets have now been added and are available in 6 languages:
- Oximes
- Azodyes
- Isoprene
- Epichlorohydrine
- Acrylonitrile
- Refractory ceramic fibres
- UV radiation
- MOCA (methylene-bis-[2-chloroaniline])
- 1,3-Butadiene
- Surgical smoke
Also, the factsheet on Nitrosamine has been updated.
UV radiation
The factsheet on ultraviolet radiation is a special one since it is not really considered a substance. However, across Europe, an estimated number of 36 million workers are exposed to natural ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun and around 1 million to UVR from artificial sources. Exposure to UVR primarily affects the skin and the eyes. Both solar and artificial UVR are now classified as carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 1).
What you can do
With regard to solar UVR, it is not possible to replace the source of risk (the sun). However, if artificial UVR is intended to be used or occurs unintentionally, a substitution check must be carried out in advance.
In principle, a reasonable combination of technical, organisational, and personal measures offers the best protection against UVR.
- Technical measures include all forms of shielding and shading, e.g. canopies at stationary and sunshades at non-stationary outdoor workplaces.
- Organisational measures aim to reduce the duration of exposure. These include, for example, relocating work activities to shaded or shielded areas that are only slightly exposed or not at all, and shifting work time to earlier morning and later evening hours (for outdoor work). Distributing work activities among several workers and restricting access to UVR exposed indoor workplaces by signs or labels are also examples for organisational measures.
- Personal measures such as a headgear with a wide brim and a neck protection, safety goggles (sunglasses or specifically designed protective eyewear for artificial UVR), face shields and visors, as well as clothing and gloves that cover the whole body are often compulsory. Skin areas that cannot be covered by textiles, e.g. the face of outdoor workers, should be protected by using sunscreen with a sufficiently high sun protection factor.
Check the full factsheet about UV radiation here.
