how to choose sun-protective clothing
a young woman runs in the park, wearing a white sun-protective coat. (photo:vcg)
by staff reporters
one of the great pleasures of being outdoors is basking in sunshine. but sunlight contains ultraviolet (uv) radiation, and too much exposure to these rays can lead to sunburn, premature skin aging, and skin cancer.
choosing sun-protective clothing that has been tested to confirm its ultraviolet protection factor (upf), will give you more control against your overall uv exposure. science and technology daily spoke to zhang jing, an associate professor at beijing institute of fashion technology, about what consumers should look out for when buying the most effective sun-protective clothing.
"sun-protective clothing mainly protects us from ultraviolet rays," said zhang, adding that the ultraviolet rays that reach the earth mainly include ultraviolet a rays (uva) and ultraviolet b rays (uvb).
because everyday clothing has a limited protective effect against uv, for prolonged exposure to strong sunlight, we need clothing with a higher upf. "a upf of at least 30 is the starting point for adequate sun protection. a upf of 30 to 49 provides very good protection, while upf 50 is the best," zhang said.
"sun protective clothing is made of anti-ultraviolet textiles. it dissipates the ultraviolet rays irradiated on the clothing through reflection, scattering, absorption, etc., thereby reducing the damage to human skin," she added.
so how should we scientifically choose this clothing?
"the sun protection effect of sun-protective clothing is closely related to factors such as fiber type, weave structure, fabric thickness and color," said zhang. polyester is excellent at blocking uv light, so is nylon. wool and silk are moderately effective. cotton, rayon, flax and hemp fabrics often score low without additional treatments.
in general, darker colors prevent more rays from reaching your skin. within the same color, more saturated shades outperform lighter shades. consumers are therefore advised to choose dark-colored sun-protective clothing, such as red, black, navy, and dark blue.
