Solar ultraviolet radiation is recognized as a major cause of non-melanoma skin
cancer in man. Skin cancer occurs most frequently in the most heavily exposed
areas and correlates with degree of outdoor exposure. Describing the relationship of
exposure (dose) to risk (skin cancer) requires the availability of a biological hazard
function or action spectrum for photocarcinogenesis. This standard proposes the
adoption of an action spectrum (weighting function) derived from experimental
laboratory data and modified to estimate the non-melanoma tumor response in
human skin. The experimental data are sufficient for estimating effectiveness down to
about 250 nm, but experimental data are not sufficient for specifying effectiveness
above 400 nm.
