title: Assessment of Health Consequences of Steel Industry Welders' Occupational Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Welding is among the most important frequently used processes in the industry with a wide range of applications from the food industry to aerospace and from precision tools to shipbuilding. The aim of this study was to assess the level of steel industry welders' exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and to investigate the health impacts of these exposures.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case-control study, we measured the intensity of UV at the workers' wrist in Fars Steel Company through manufacture of different types of heavy metal structures, using UV-meter model 666230 made by Leybold Co., from Germany.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The population under the study comprised 400 people including 200 welders as the exposed group and 200 nonwelders as the unexposed group. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS software, version 19. The average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum of the UV at the welders' wrist were 0.362, 0.346, 1.27, and 0.01 μW/cm(2), respectively. There was a significantly (P < 0.01) higher incidence of cataracts, keratoconjunctivitis, dermatitis and erythema in welders than in their nonwelders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the time period of UV exposure in welders is higher than the permissible contact threshold level. Therefore, considering the outbreak of the eye and skin disorders in the welders, decreasing exposure time, reducing UV radiation level, and using personal protective equipment seem indispensable. As exposure to UV radiation can be linked to different types of skin cancer, skin aging, and cataract, welders should be advised to decrease their occupational exposures.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Department, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zamanian
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics and Medical Engineering Department, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Saied Mohammad Javad
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Department, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ebrahim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Asmand
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Student of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Kiana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nikeghbal
keywords: Cataract; dermatitis; keratoconjunctivitis; melanoma and erythema; ultraviolet radiation; welding