Bilirubin phototherapy and potential UVR hazards.

Bilirubin phototherapy is a treatment often used in hospitals to alleviate neonatal jaundice in newborn babies. Phototherapy utilizes blue light and although the phototherapy units emit predominantly in this region, emissions from the adjacent ultraviolet region present a possible hazard if the exposure is of sufficient duration. A study of the levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to which patients and staff involved with phototherapy are subjected was therefore undertaken.