Measurement of solar ultraviolet radiation exposure for epidemiological studies

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a carcinogenic agent for which little information on human exposure is available. The intensity and the changes of solar UV exposure, which is the main source of exposure, have an impact on health but are difficult to monitor. The work of this thesis led to the creation...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chaillol, Isabelle
Other Authors: International Agency for Cancer Research (IACR), Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I, Jean-François Doré, Mathieu Boniol
Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
Language:French
Published: HAL CCSD 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00831718
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00831718/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00831718/file/TH2011_Chaillol_Isabelle.pdf
Description
Summary:Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a carcinogenic agent for which little information on human exposure is available. The intensity and the changes of solar UV exposure, which is the main source of exposure, have an impact on health but are difficult to monitor. The work of this thesis led to the creation of a tool for quantitative estimation of individual exposure to solar UV that can be used in epidemiological studies. We created an atlas of monthly average daily radiation across Europe. Some missing values from the Nordic countries during winter had to be extrapolated. We observed a strong seasonality and characteristics in the spatial distribution which does not always follow the gradient of latitude. For instance, UV radiation is higher in the southern area of the Nordic countries than in central Europe. A survey was conducted in eight European populations to estimate individual exposure. These populations have different behaviours regarding sun exposure. After a step of modeling to estimate missing values in northern Norway throughout the year, we quantified chronic and holiday exposure in three populations (France, Italy and Norway). The tool developed during this thesis will be used for future epidemiological studies that will contribute to improving the knowledge about UV exposure in populations and better understanding its role in the aetiology of various diseases, such as skin cancers. Le rayonnement ultraviolet (UV) est un cancérigène pour lequel peu d’informations sur l’exposition des populations est disponible. L’intensité et les variations de l’exposition au rayonnement UV solaire, principale source d’exposition, a un impact sur la santé mais il est difficile de les surveiller. Le travail de cette thèse a permis de développer un outil pour une estimation quantitative de l’exposition individuelle à l’UV solaire pour l’épidémiologie. Nous avons créé un atlas des moyennes mensuelles d’irradiation journalière en Europe. Certaines données manquantes au niveau des pays nordiques en hiver ont dû être ...