Artículo
The UV Index color palette revisited
Registro en:
2666-4690 (online)
10.1016/j.jpap.2023.100180
Autor
Luccini, Eduardo
Orte, Facundo
Lell, Julián
Nollas, Fernando
Carbajal, Gerardo
Wolfram, Elián
Institución
Resumen
Abstract: The UV Index (UVI), standardized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2002, is an internationally
accepted reference for disseminating information on solar UV radiation levels with the purpose of preventing the
harmful effects on human health by sun overexposure. The UVI is the erythemal irradiance expressed in a
dimensionless unit, with numerical values adapted to a risk scale that considers the “Extreme” level from a UVI
value equal to 11 upwards. This scale is linked to a color palette by health risk ranges, and to a graded color
palette by units of UVI for more details. Both the numerical scale and its associated risk levels were universally
adopted by the scientific community and by global information systems to the population. However, inconsistencies
and limitations persist between both UVI color palettes, making their interpretation and application
difficult. In the present work all these aspects are addressed, proposing a revised color palette for unit UVI values
that resolves each of them. Based on the WHO risk-ranges UVI color palette, the new color palette for unit UVI
values gives coherence to both color charts, allowing reliable identification of the risk level bands and of each
unit UVI level within them, and solves the need to distinguish between units for numerical values of UVI higher
than 11 that are registered daily in many regions of the world.