The effects of body size and orientation on ultraviolet radiation exposure

Abstract

A method has been developed for determining the UV and erythemal exposures to the entire body. The difference between the ambient erythemal exposure and that to the body compared to the ambient exposure may be as high as 76%. The height, orientation, and overall height had a minimal effect on the exposure to the body with size, time of day and time of year having a significant effect. The diffuse component of UV to a side of the body ranged from 20% to 41% between different times of the year with different levels of cloud cover. The ratio of the body to the ambient erythemal exposures varied from 0.24 to 0.61 with the time of day and time of year with the smaller value for periods of high solar altitude.