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Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British Columbia’s outdoor workers Cheryl E. Peters 1,2 Sunil Kalia 3 Paul A. Demers 4,5 Anne-Marie Nicol 2 Mieke W. Koehoorn 1 1. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia 2. CAREX Canada, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University 3. Dermatology and Skin Science, University of British Columbia 4. Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario 5. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British Columbia’s outdoor workers

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Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British Columbia’s outdoor workers. Cheryl E. Peters 1,2 Sunil Kalia 3 Paul A. Demers 4,5 Anne-Marie Nicol 2 Mieke W. Koehoorn 1. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British Columbia’s outdoor workers

Cheryl E. Peters1,2 Sunil Kalia3

Paul A. Demers4,5

Anne-Marie Nicol2 Mieke W. Koehoorn1

1. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

2. CAREX Canada, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

3. Dermatology and Skin Science, University of British Columbia4. Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario5. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Page 2: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Background

Skin cancer = ~88,000 of ~269,000 new

cancer cases (2013)

1

Page 3: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Health impacts from UV radiation

Ozone

Cloud cover

Latitude

Season

Air pollution

Elevation

Reflection

Outdoor work

Pattern of exposure Intermittent CumulativeBehaviour: Sun-seeking Sun-protective

Genetics: Skin colour Sun sensitivity

Cultural Dress Other behaviours

Immune competence

Melanoma

Squamous cell carcinoma (skin)Basal cell carcinoma (skin)

Solar keratoses

Sunburn

Cortical cataract

Pterygium

Cold sores

Sqamous cell carcinoma (cornea and conjunctiva)

UV radiation

Modified from ‘Global burden of disease from solar UVR’, World Health Organization, 2006

Page 4: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Number of outdoor workers in Canada

• 1.5 million exposed

• 8.8% of the working population

• Most of those exposed are men (82%)

Peters CE, Nicol AM, Demers PA. Prevalence of exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the job in Canada. Can J Public Health. 2012. 103(3):223-6 3

Page 5: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

The Outdoor Workers Project:Solar exposure in BC construction workers

Objectives:

1. To characterize ultraviolet radiation exposure in BC’s outdoor construction workers

2. To understand the determinants of solar UVR exposure

4

Page 6: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Outdoor Workers Project: Methods

2. Questionnaire

3. Activity diary

1. UV dosimeter

5

Page 7: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Results (1): Recruitment and demographics

Characteristic Outdoor workers Total number 78Sex (n males, %) 73 (95%)Age (mean, range) 38 (18 - 69)Race (n Caucasian, %) 73 (95%)Yes to childhood sunburn (n, %) 45 (58%)Blonde or red hair (n, %) 9 (12%)Light coloured eyes (n, %) 49 (64%)Skin types I or II (n, %) 11 (14%)

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Page 8: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Results (2): Exposure levels by job type

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Page 9: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Results (3): Exposure levels

MeasureOutdoor workers Controls

Number of measured days 346 46Standard Erythemal Dose resultsMean SED(burning threshold for un-tanned skin is 1.5-3 SED)1

2.3 0.38

SD 2.8 0.45Minimum <0.001 0.003Maximum 19.2 2.7UV Index resultsMean UV Index (full day) 0.3 0.04SD 0.7 0.3Minimum 0 0Maximum 12.3 5.9Mean UV Index (outdoor observations only) 0.8 0.6

8

Page 10: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Results (4): Sunburn in outdoor workers by time spent outside at work

Outside up to 3 hours

4 hours 5 hours all day0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

No sunburn1-4 sunburnsExcessive sunburns (>5)

9

Page 11: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Discussion: Outdoor Workers Project

• Potential for solar UV radiation at work in the summer; levels differ by job site and are highly variable

• Workers are regularly getting sunburned at work

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Page 12: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Conclusions

• 1.5 million Canadians likely exposed to solar UVR on the job, evidence suggests inadequate protection

• Exposure levels in Vancouver summers are at high levels, sometimes dangerously so

• We have many challenges to address

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Page 13: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Acknowledgements– PhD committee:

• Mieke Koehoorn• Sunil Kalia• Paul Demers• Anne-Marie Nicol

– Brynn Bourke & The BC Building Trades

– Van Pile Ltd.– Seaspan / Vancouver Shipyard– JDG Construction– Environment Canada

(Atmospheric Monitoring)– WinVan Paving Ltd.– Arbutus Ridge Golf & Country

Club– Outdoor Workers Project

participants

Page 14: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Farming264,000 exposedResidential Building

Construction108,000 exposed

Services to Buildings

83,000 exposed

Foundation & Building Exterior

Contractors68,000 exposed

Amusement & Recreation

45,000 exposed

Page 15: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in British  Columbia’s  outdoor  workers

Examples of exposure patterns

7:12 AM 8:24 AM 9:36 AM 10:48 AM 12:00 PM 1:12 PM 2:24 PM 3:36 PM 4:48 PM 6:00 PM0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Available UVWorker 1: Welding foremanWorker 2: CarpenterWorker 3: Traffic control

UV

Inde

x