Natural UV radiation
Sunlight is important for human health. The body needs it to form vitamin D, for example, which is important for bone structure. At the same time, ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight pose a major stress and risk potential for the skin.
Due to the change in the way people are spending their leisure time, dermatologists are recording a signifi cant increase in the number of cancer cases worldwide. In Europe for example, experts anticipate well over 1,000,000 new cases of cancer each year, based on estimates from 2004.
Dermatologists and anti-cancer organisations therefore warn against excessive exposure of the sun and call for prevention by means of suitable clothing and sun protective textiles. This is particularly important for children, as their skin is still extremely thin and only develops full protective mechanisms against harmful UV radiation from around the age of 15. But it is also extremely sensible for the people who spend a lot of time outdoors in their line of work, such as construction workers and road workers or gardeners to use textile sun protection, and this is advisable from the point of view of the workers healt
- UV protection UV or SPF protection factor
- UV protective clothing (acc. to UV Standard 801) 20-80
- Tightly woven cotton clothing (acc. to UV Standard 801) approx. 20
- Sunscreen when applied correctly (SPF) 0-30
- Lightly woven cotton clothing (acc. to UV Standard 801) approx. 10
- Shade under a tree approx. 5-15
- Shade under a sunshade (without special UV protection) approx. 5
The UV protection factor states how long someone using sun protective textiles wearing UV protective clothing can stay out in the sun without suffering damage to their health (skin damage). The UPF protection factor is comparable to the sun protection factor of sunscreen. In both cases, the basis for calculations is what is known as the intrinsic protection time of the skin, which can vary considerably depending on the individual skin type.
The skin of someone of skin type I with red or blonde hair, blue eyes and a very fair complexion has an intrinsic protection time of approximately fi ve to ten minutes. If they are exposed to the burning sun for longer than this without protection, they risk harmful sunburn.
When protected by a textile material with a UPF of 20, for example, this individual can extend how long the are able to stay in the sun by a factor of 20, in other words, up to a maximum of 2 to 4 hours for skin type I (20 x 5 min = 100 min to 20 x 10 min = 200 min), without risking damage to their skin.
Skin types
Not every type of skin reacts in the same way when exposed to the sun. Dermatologists therefore make a distinction between four skin types with different intrinsic protection times.
Textile UV protection
Textiles are intrinsically suited for use as UV protection, as they are able to offer particularly good protection against intense radiation from the sun if suitable materials and constructions are used. UV protection factors (UPF) far above those of the strongest sunscreens (sunblocks) can be achieved.
It is not possible to determine how much UV radiation a textile allows to penetrate the skin simply from looking at and feeling the textile and thereby give a UV protection factor comparable to those used for cosmetic sun screens. To determine this so-called Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF), standardised measuring methods and a specialist test, as offered by TESTEX® as member of the International Test Association for Applied UV Protection, are required.
Given the same length of exposure to the sun, wrinkling occurs signifi cantly earlier with skin types I and II than with types III and IV. The risk of skin cancer is also considerably higher for skin types I and II.
UV-Index
The intensity of the sun, as well as the individual skin type, is crucial when selecting suitable UV-protection.
The international UV-index (UVI) provides information on the intensity of UV-radiation in a specifi c location.
The UV-index is dependent on the time of day, the longitude and latitude, the time of year, ozone levels and cloud cover. Refl ections from the sand and snow also affect the UVI level.
The daily UVI for Switzerland, Europe, USA and Australia is published.
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