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Currently a member of the British Standard Institute (BSI) Committee investigating clothing protection from the sun, Roger Clifton also represents the UK position on the corresponding EU Research Committee.
He would therefore welcome any views or comments on the best approach for the labelling of such garments, including the design of the new EU pictagram (shown below).

Clothing does protect the skin - but by how much?
From 01/01/98, a new BSI test method for clothing fabrics has been in place (7914:1998). This means that fabrics can now be measured for their uv (or sun) protective factor (‘UPF’).
The maximum ‘safe limit' of exposure is about 12 mins so a UPF of 30 gives a protection of 30 x 12 mins (ie 6 hours of very strong sun). This is also equivalent to normal dawn-dusk continuous protection ( the sun is less strong early and late).
Subsequently, in July of 1999, BS 7949:1999 was introduced. Entitled ‘Children’s clothing - Requirements for protection against erythemally weighted solar ultraviolet radiation’, it deals with the required criteria for garment labelling. It specifies not only the fabric requirements (ie a UPF > 40) but also minimum body coverage parameters so there will no ‘sun-protective’ bikinis!

A total of 78% of women in 16-24 age-range actively seek a tan each year although 94% are aware of the risks.

¨	more opportunity to lie in the sun

¨	tanning still perceived as desirable

¨	depletion of the ozone

Þ	2000+ die of skin cancer

Þ	40,000 new cases

Þ	rate doubled in 15 years

Þ	25% of young people will get sunburnt - a factor in fatal skin cancers.

Some disturbing facts about skin cancer eg every year in the UK alone:

Young children are particularly at risk because of their relatively thin skin. They will receive as much as a third of their lifetime’s absorption of harmful uv radiation.

The problem is getting worse due to:

This garment illustrates some of the design characteristics which BSI have incorporated into their requirements for a ‘Sun Protection’ label. (Note the sleeve and leg length.) The fabric used also has to conform to a minimum sun protection level as measured under BS 7914.
Consumers are also reminded that other protective measures are needed for uncovered areas of the body.

“Honey - I burnt the kids!”
- or the Testing and Labelling of Sun Protective Clothing for Children
(Abstact of my published paper presented at a recent international workshop on UV Exposure hosted by the National Radiological Protection Board, held at Oxford in October 1999. A full copy is available on request.)
In recent years, there has been increasing interest shown in the protective properties of clothing against the harmful effects of UV radiation from the sun. The incidence of skin cancer has been rising in many parts of the world, but especially in Australia and northern Europe. This is due to a number of factors including changing lifestyles, perceptions of the ‘tanned image’ and ozone depletion. Initial research was carried out in Australia who formulated a test method for fabrics and a classification procedure. A number of European countries have taken up this initiative including the UK who earlier last year produced their own Test Method - BS 7914:1998. The European Union (EU) are now in the final stages of formulating the test method to be used by all member counties. Further work has also been carried out by BSI to investigate the complex aspects of labelling criteria in respect of garments. This has culminated in the recent publication (ie July 1999) of another standard - BS 7949:1999 - entitled ‘Children’s clothing Requirements for protection against erythemally weighted solar ultraviolet radiation’. Other, more difficult parameters not yet covered in any of the published standards are still to be evaluated. These include the changes in the sun protection properties of textiles in a wet and/or stretched condition (precisely the state of many garments worn in the sun) and the requirements for products such as sun-shades and parasols where the measurement of UV reflectance is also very relevant.

The paper reviews this current situation and highlights those aspects where resources for the investigative research are needed, particularly by textile manufacturers and retailers.
Roger Clifton C.Text.,A.T.I.