What is ISO/CIE 17166- Standard erythema dose about?
ISO/CIE 17166 is a safety standard on the erythema reference action spectrum and standard erythema dose.
ISO/CIE 17166 specifies the erythema reference action spectrum, ser(λ), and the standard erythema dose (SED).
ISO/CIE 17166 describes the erythema action spectrum that is a function representing the spectral dependence of the ability of ultraviolet radiation (3.6) to produce just perceptible actinic erythema in human skin.
Who is ISO 17166- Standard erythema dose for?
ISO 17166 on the erythema reference action spectrum and standard erythema dose is relevant to:
- Manufacturers of optical and radiometric devices
- Dermatologists
Why should you use ISO/CIE 17166- Standard erythema dose?
Dosimetry in skin photobiology lies in the fact that the ability of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to elicit erythema in human skin depends strongly on wavelength, encompassing a range of four orders of magnitude between 250 nm and 400 nm.
The term "minimal erythema dose (MED)" has been used widely as a measure of erythemal radiation. This is unreasonable because the MED is not a standard measure of anything but, on the contrary, encompasses the variable nature of individual sensitivity to UV radiation. Variables that affect the MED include optical and radiometric characteristics of the source; determinants of the exposure, such as dose increment and field size; nature of the skin, such as pigmentation, previous light exposure, and anatomical site; and observational factors, such as the definition of the endpoint, time of reading after exposure and ambient illumination. To avoid further confusing misuse of the term MED, ISO/CIE 17166 proposes that this term be reserved solely for observational studies in humans and other animals and that a new term, the "standard erythema dose (SED)", be used as a standardized measure of erythemogenic UV radiation.
Overall, ISO/CIE 17166 is useful as it assists the user with the minimal erythema dose that is a subjective measure based on the reddening of the skin; it depends on many variables, e.g. individual sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation (3.6), radiometric characteristics of the source, skin pigmentation, anatomic site, elapsed time between irradiation and observing the reddening (typical value: 24 h), etc.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO/CIE 17166:2019 supersedes BS ISO 17166:1999, which is withdrawn.
BS ISO/CIE 17166:2019 replaces ISO 17166:1999 | CIE S 007-1998, of which it constitutes a minor revision. BS ISO/CIE 17166:2019 has been editorially revised as per current ISO rules and the references have been updated.
