Environmental or occupational exposure to optical radiation: risk evaluation, health effects and prevention - tangible innovation for public and occupational health?

Natural or artificial exposure to optical radiation, i.e. ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation, is ubiquitous and leaves no one behind. Ultraviolet radiation is the most harmful component and linked to skin cancer and cataracts; but also visible and infrared radiations can have important health impacts on exposed subjects. Due to its low penetration ability, optical radiation effects mainly noticed at the eyes and skin. However, effects as e.g. possible interactions of UV with the immune functions or IR-related temperature increase are also of interest. Optical radiation exposure is a recognized occupational risk in many outdoor and indoor activities. In recent decades, several methods for estimating doses received by the workers were published, but there is still a lack of knowledge on the possible thresholds preventing from long-term effects, especially considering individual, behavioral and environmental susceptibilities. How could exposure assessments be innovative of tangible innovation in occupational and public health?

The aim of the Special Issue is to provide an updated panorama of the current risks related to environmental and occupational exposure to optical radiation, according to its different components and to the types of activities at risk. Main aspects taken into account are:
- The prevention of skin cancer risk and other solar UV-related adverse effects in outdoor workers and other population at risk based on innovative methodologies.
- Exposure risk assessments related to technologies emitting optical radiation: e.g. LED, LASERs, UV-equipment for disinfection purposes, lamps using infrared for heating, etc.
- The use of environmental optical radiation exposure data to estimate the health risks of targeted populations: e.g. the recently proposed associations between high temperatures and UV radiation levels with COVID-19 epidemiology, estimates correlating ambient UV levels to a reliable risk assessment in the workplaces for the prevention of adverse effects, etc.
- Experimental studies on possible new/not fully understood effects proposed to be related to optical radiation exposure: e.g. blue-light damage of the eye, macular degeneration and uveal melanoma associated with solar radiation exposure, different malignant melanoma forms and cumulative UV exposure risk, health effects related to high temperatures and the role of infrared radiation, etc.

The objective of the Special Issue is to provide the newest advancements in the research field of occupational and environmental exposure to optical radiation. In particular, the Special Issue will focus on:
- Risk evaluation studies of optical radiation exposure, applying dosimetry and other innovative methodologies to estimate exposure levels and their relevancy for the safety and health.
- Epidemiological and experimental studies on adverse effects induced by optical radiation exposure.
- Studies evaluating preventive interventions to reduce the risk related to optical radiation exposure, including the evaluation of the role of the protections applied and of the individual susceptibility.