Characterization and application of UV detector spore films: The sensitivity curve of a new detector system provides good similarity to the action spectrum for UV-induced erythema in human skin

The UV action spectra of two different biologically weighing UV photofilms (spore films), produced with Bacillus subtilis spores (wildtype and DNA repair-deficient strains), were determined at the Okasaki large spectrograph (OLS) within the wavelength range 254-400 nm. The action spectrum of the mutant strain film was modified with a cut-off filter, yielding a sensitivity curve similar to the action spectrum for erythemal induction in human skin. The detector system was tested in a field study and in a study using lamps with different UV spectral compositions. The system demonstrated its applicability over the spectral region from lambda=290 nm to the visible light, The system could be calibrated to give the minimal erythemal dose.