Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access originally published online on April 27, 2006
Radiation Protection Dosimetry 2006 121(3):265-274; doi:10.1093/rpd/ncl043
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A new methodology for the assessment of hand protection from ultraviolet exposure
HPA-CRCE, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
* Corresponding author: marina.khazova{at}hpa-rp.org.uk
Received December 14, 2005, amended March 9, 2006, accepted March 17, 2006
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Abstract |
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A number of industrial applications and public services involve occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from a variety of lamps and lasers. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for the assessment of the UV protection level for disposable gloves. Glove UV protection factor is defined as a time-scale increase in exposure permitted for the hand protected by a glove with respect to an unprotected hand. Our study showed that for all tested gloves a change in UVR attenuation with stretching is characteristic for the type of glove material and can be included as a scaling factor in the definition of UVR protection. Glove material has a bigger effect on UVR protection level than variations in the glove thickness or its colour. Examples of assessment of the ‘worst case scenario’ are compared with the protection level against a number of sources, together with the guidance on a simplified evaluation protocol. An application-specific assessment, illustrated for ‘SmartWater’ forensic examinations and biological trans-illuminators, demonstrates that some gloves provide inadequate protection against occupational UV exposure.