Long-term variability of human health-related solar ultraviolet-B radiation doses from the 1980s to the end of 21st century
Christos Zerefos, Ilias Fountoulakis, Kostas Eleftheratos, Andreas Kazantzidis
American Physiological Society Physiological Reviews
Date : 17 april 2023
DOI : 10.1152/physrev.00031.2022
Abstract
Solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation has played a crucial role for the evolution of life on Earth. Optimal UV-B exposure behaviors, which ensure balance between the risks and benefits of exposure to UV-B, depend on both environmental and physiological factors, and cannot be easily determined. The present review provides the current state of knowl- edge on the effects of UV-B radiation to humans. The physical mechanisms that control the levels of solar UV-B radia- tion at the Earth’s surface are also discussed. A comprehensive review of the studies reporting on current trends in the levels of UV-B at the surface and model projections of its future levels is examined and reveals the important role of man-made climatic changes in the evolution of the solar UV-B at the ground. The review provides evidence that, de- spite the success of the Montreal Protocol, the future evolution of the levels of solar UV-B radiation at the Earth’s sur- face has important uncertainties caused by the expected changes in our climate. Therefore, it is recommended that the usual precautionary measures to protect from excess exposure of humans to solar UV-B radiation should continue to apply in the decades to come.
