EVALUATION OF INDOOR EXPOSURE FROM ARTIFICIAL UV SOURCES IN ISRAEL

The last decade has witnessed an increase in the use of artificial ultraviolet sources. Most of the studies conducted examined solar UV, but only few included artificial UV sources. The purposes of this research are to outline the different uses of artificial UV sources in Israel, to measure the exposure levels of workers and of the general public, to determine the maximum exposure time according to the recommendations of the ACGIH and to recommend appropriate safety measures. The different uses of artificial UV sources were divided into eight categories. The effective irradiance (W/cm 2 ) for each procedure was measured with actinic radiometer systems. The results show that in some uses ( e.g. some welding, medical care and disinfection), the exposure is high and the maximum exposure time without appropriate protective measures is less then a few minuets, while in other uses (e.g. photocopying), the exposure is insignificant.