The Simulated Ocular and Whole ‐Body Distribution of Natural Sunlight to Kiteboarders: A High‐Risk Case of UVR Exposure for Athletes Utilizing Water Surfaces in Sport

The research measures the expected body surface exposure of solar UVR to kiteboarders. Measured exposures are presented for 17 body sites. The expected body orientation is derived from video vector analysis of kiteboarders filmed in motion. A novel methodology for deriving UVR exposure in aquatic sports is presented with positive implications for skin cancer prevention, policy development, consumer education and sun protection awareness. AbstractKiteboarding is an aquatic sporting discipline that has not yet been considered in the literature to date in terms of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) measurement. Kiteboarders need to look upward and are placed obliquely relative to the horizon when towed behind an overhead kite over a reflective water surface. This research defines the typical body surface orientation of a kiteboarder in motion through video vector analysis and demonstrates the potential risk to ocular and skin surface damage through practical measurement of solar UVR using a manikin model. Video analysis of 51 kiteboarders was made to construct skeletal wireframes showing the surface orientation of the leg, thigh, spine, humerus, lower arm and head of a typical kiteboarder. Solar UVR dosimeter measurements made using a manikin model demonstrate that the vertex and anterior surfaces of the knee, lower leg and lower humerus received 89%, 90%, 80% and 63% of the available ambient UVR, respectively, for a typical kiteboarder who is tilted back more than 15 ° from ver...
Source: Photochemistry and Photobiology - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research