Risk assessment comprises four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk charcterization. In this study, the effects of increased ultraviolet B (UVB, 280-315 nm) radiation on immune fiuctions and the immunological resistance to infectious diseases in rats were analyzed according to this strategy. In a parallelogram approach, nonthreshold mathematical methods were used to esismate the risk for the human population after increasd exposure to UVB radiation. These data demontrate, using a worst-case strategy (sensitive individuals, no Risk assessment is a process of analyzing relevant biological, dose-response, and exposure data for a particular agent in an attempt to establish qualitative and quantitative estimates of adverse effects on human health (1). As defined by the frequently cited National Academy of Science Report (2), risk assessment comprises four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. This general framework covers the process of assessing risk of cancer as well as noncancer endpoints, including decreased resistance to infections. The present study is not aimed at the determination or calculation of the maximal tolerable dose of UV radiation humans are advised or allowed to be exposed to. This study only serves as an estimation of the effect of exposure to increased levels of UVB with respect to the immune system and related resistance to infections in comparison to humans that are not exposed to increased UVB levels due to ozone depletion.The first step, hazard identification, involves a largely qualitative evaluation of available human and animal data to determine whether a chemical or physical agent is a potential hazard. Consideration is given to the dose, route, and duration of exposure in the test species. Any possible change in immune function, due to the agent studied, indicates that this agent is a potential hazard. Many studies indicate that suberythemal doses of ultraviolet light can affect the immune system in rodents as well as in humans. The major effect of UV exposure is suppression of the cellular immune system and of natural killer cell (NK) function, which is found in humans as well as in rodents. In rodent studies it has been demonstrated that UV-induced immunomodulation can lead to a lowered resistance to certain infections and tumors (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17).Following hazard identification, doseresponse studies (step 2 of risk assessment)give quantitative information, which is the basis for obtaining the no-observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) and the lowest adverse effect level (LOAEL), which are threshold values. This information is also necessary to determine the effective dose, which induces a certain level of suppression of an immune function, e.g., 50% suppression (ED50), for which it is assumed that there is no threshold dose value. The ED50, the dose that inhibits the response by 50%, can be calculated using linear or nonlinear regressio...