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In
the outdoors, the best means of protection against Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
is clothing (Reinert, 1997). Clothing is considered a primary sun
protective agent, but there is little guidance in selecting clothing for
this purpose. Medical literature has often considered sunscreens/blocks
to be superior to clothing for UV protection. Currently, physicians
and medical experts recommend clothing as a primary method of protecting
the skin (Davis, 1997).
Head
wear
Primary
sites of skin cancer are noted to be the ears, back of the neck and the
facial temples. Consequently, it is essential to consider the best
way to reduce exposure UV exposure in these key areas. The ideal
protective headwear places a barrier between the sun and an individual's
head, face, ears, and back of neck (Lee, 1995). Traditional summer
hats include baseball caps as well as "fashionable" grass and straw style
hats. But, in order to obtain coverage of at risk areas, it is necessary
to have a hat with at least a 3-inch brim-and the bigger, the better.
More protection is offered when hats are of deep colored, tightly woven
canvas, with air vents to make them cooler in heat. Also, a hat with
Lycra® or Lycra® blend will give added protection (Stone, 1997).
Above all else, a hat that is worn!
Clothing
A
number of factors need to be considered in choosing clothing as a first-line
sun protective tool (Lowe, 1995; Davis, 1997). Careful selection
of fabrics is important to achieve a sun protection factor (SPF) of at
least 15. The SPF of a fabric indicates how much longer a person
wearing the fabric can stay out in the sun before reddening of the skin
occurs in comparison to an unprotected person. The ideal fabric would
be one that is completely opaque to UV transmission and with spaces between
the yarns in the fabric small enough not to allow for any significant transmission.
The effectiveness of a fabric in protecting against UV radiation involves
a complex set of factors. These include:
-
Weave--fabric
construction is the main factor affecting transmission of UV rays.
Loose weaves of fabric allow more transmission of rays thorugh the clothing
to the body underneath than more closely woven fabrics.
-
Color--darker-colored
fabrics transmit less UV rays, thus they block more radiation than the
lighter-colored ones.
-
Weight--plays
a lesser role than weave, in that lightweight closely woven fabrics often
provide higher UV protection than heavy weight but coarsely woven fabrics.
-
Fiber--In
a controlled laboratory study polyester provided more protection than cotton,
linen, acetate, and rayon fabrics of similar construction (Davis, 1997).
-
Laundry--washing
fabrics increases their protectiveness because shrinkage and the loosening
of fiber ends creates a tighter weave.
-
Further,
the UV protectiveness of a fabric during use depends on overall quality
of fabric, stretch, and wet versus dry condition (Curiskis, 1996).
Although
there are many variables involved in the protectiveness of a garment, the
real issue is to cover as much skin surface as possible. Summer clothing
designs tend to emphasize light, airy appearances with more skin exposure.
Although many people know the value of covering their body while exposed
to UV rays, they do not cover up because they believe it will make them
too warm or restrict their movement.
Speciality
Garments
Fabrics
are now being engineered to maximize the amount of UV protection they provide
and are used to make "solar protective" garments, hats, and parasols (Capjack,
1994). Special solar protective clothing, with trade names like Solumbra®
and Solarweave® offer high UV protection, do not seem to degrade with
dampness and are a convenient way to achieve a reduction of UV-radiation
reaching the skin. These garments are made mainly of nylon, woven
very tightly to stop light penetration and have fibers that have a coating
that is supposed to absorb ultraviolet light (Lowe, 1995; Consumer Report
1998). These products may be of special interest for persons who
are sun sensitive or have certain medical conditions. "Kathryn Hatch, a
textile expert at the University of Arizona, calls special clothing 'excellent'
for certain people. Among them, are those who have been diagnosed
with skin cancer or have a family history of the disease. Cancer
patients undergoing chemotherapy (which increases sun sensitivity), and
hikers who will be out all day, especially at high altitudes where the
thin atmosphere imposes less of a barrier to UV rays" (Comarow, 1999).
Specialized garments are, however, expensive in comparison to "regular"
clothing of similar design. Thermal comfort may also be a concern as it
is when using clothing of "regular" fabrics to cover more of the skin surface
(Capjack, 1994).
Summary
With
everything taken into consideration, any clothing selection that you can
make that covers as much as possible, is structured out of tightly constructed
fibers (such as polyester), has a very tight weave and is dark in color
will give the maximum protection available with "normal" clothing. Essentially,
must of us probably have adequate clothing choices in our wardrobes; we
just need to make wise selections based in order to improve protection.
And remember to wear a hat.
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