Protection against ultraviolet radiation by commercial summer clothing: need for standardised testing and labelling
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The use of clothing as a means of sun protection has been recommended in recent education campaigns. Contrary to popular opinion, however, some fabrics provide insufficient ultraviolet (UV) protection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We investigated 236 apparel textiles of the spring/summer collections 2000 and 2001. In accordance with the forthcoming European standard the UV protection factor (UPF) of the fabrics was determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Seventy-eight (33%) fabrics had UPF < 15, 45 (19%) had UPF = or > 15 and < 30, and 113 (48%) had UPF = or > 30 (30+). More than 70% of the wool, polyester, and fabric blends, and only less than 30% of the cotton, linen, and viscose fabrics had UPF values of 30+. Fabrics with black, navy-blue, white, green, or beige colours provided most frequently UPF values of 30+. CONCLUSIONS: It is difficult for the sun-aware consumer to choose the 'right' garment, with a third of summer clothing providing insufficient UV protection and only half of the fabrics having UPF 30+, the UPF recommended by the European standard. Therefore, apparel summer fabrics should be measured and labelled in accordance with a standard document.
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Only 75% of fabrics were able to deliver a sufficient degree of protection from UV radiation.
“Gambichler et al. showed that 1/3 of summer clothing provided poor protection from UV radiation, and only 75 % of fabrics were able to deliver a sufficient degree of protection (12).”
From Photoprotection: a Review of the Current and Future Technologies (2010) · cites this paper as [12]
The Results and Discussion report that only 113 of 236 fabrics (48%) met the European standard for sufficient UV protection (UPF 30+), not 75%. The paper does support the citing sentence’s separate statement that about one-third provided insufficient protection, but that does not support the attributed 75% figure. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredGambichler et al. showed that 1/3 of summer clothing provided poor protection from UV radiation.
“Gambichler et al. showed that 1/3 of summer clothing provided poor protection from UV radiation, and only 75 % of fabrics were able to deliver a sufficient degree of protection (12).”
From Photoprotection: a Review of the Current and Future Technologies (2010) · cites this paper as [12]
The Results and Discussion section (page unavailable) reports that 78 fabrics (33%) had insufficient UV protection, supporting the one-third claim. The cited sentence also attributes a 75% figure to the paper, but its Results report 48% meeting the recommended UPF 30+ standard, not 75%. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe degree of UV protection offered by clothing and hats varies.
“As expected, the degree of UV protection offered by clothing and hats varies.”
From Photoprotection: a Review of the Current and Future Technologies (2010) · cites this paper as [12]
The Abstract Results report a wide range of UV protection factors among summer clothing fabrics, supporting variation in clothing protection. The passages do not address hats, so the claim’s extension to hats is not supported by our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCertain colors, such as blue and black, can enhance UV protection.
“Certain colors, such as blue and black, can enhance UV protection (12,20).”
From Photoprotection: a Review of the Current and Future Technologies (2010) · cites this paper as [12]
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Research works printed but not linked: 12
- Dixon H Hons BA Borland R Hill D Sun protection and sunburn in primary school children: the influence of age, gender, and coloring. Prev Med 1999 28 119 130 10048103 10.1006/pmed.1998.0392 · DOI
- Altmeyer P Hoffmann K Stücker M eds Skin cancer and UV radiation. Springer Berlin New York 1997
- Hoffmann K Laperre J Avermaete A Altmeyer P Gambichler T Defined UV protection by apparel textiles. Arch Dermatol 2001 137 1089 1094 11493104
- Gambichler T Avermaete A Bader A Altmeyer P Hoffmann K Ultraviolet protection by summer textiles. Ultraviolet transmission measurements verified by determination of the minimal erythema dose with solar-simulated radiation. Br J Dermatol 2001 144 484 489 11260003 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04072.x · DOI
- Hoffmann K Kesners P Bader A Avermaete A Altmeyer P Gambichler T Repeatability of in vitro measurements of the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) by spectrophotometry with automatic sampling. Skin Res Technol 2001 7 223 226 11737817 10.1034/j.1600-0846.2001.070404.x · DOI
- Laperre J Gambichler T Driscoll C Böhringer B Varieras S Osterwalder U Determination of the ultraviolet protection factor of textile materials: measurement precision. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2001 17 223 229 11555332 10.1034/j.1600-0781.2001.170504.x · DOI
- Dummer R Osterwalder U UV transmission of summer clothing in Switzerland and Germany. Dermatology 2000 200 81 82 10681625 10.1159/000018326 · DOI
- Gies P Roy C Toomey S Tomlinson D Ambient solar UVR, personal exposure and protection. J Epidemiol 1999 9 115 122 10709359
- Pailthorpe M Apparel textiles and sun protection: a marketing opportunity or a quality control nightmare? Mutat Res 1998 422 175 183 9920443 10.1016/S0027-5107(98)00190-0 · DOI
- Kimlin MG Parisi AV Meldrum LR Effect of stretch on the ultraviolet spectral transmission of one type of commonly used clothing. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 1999 15 171 174 10540938
- Moehrle M Garbe C Solar UV-protective properties of textiles Dermatology 2000 201 82 10971075 10.1159/000018444 · DOI
- Ravishankar J Diffey BL Laboratory testing of UV transmission through fabrics may underestimate protection. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 1997 13 202 203 9542759
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kullavanijaya, P., & Lim, H. W. (2005) · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2004.07.063 · Cited by 356 · see citing works
Photoprotection: a Review of the Current and Future Technologies
Wang, S. Q., Balagula, Y., & Osterwalder, U. (2010) · Dermatologic Therapy · doi:10.1111/j.1529-8019.2009.01289.x · Cited by 294 · see citing works
UV protection properties of workwear fabrics coated with TiO2 nanoparticles
Rabiei, H., Farhang Dehghan, S., Montazer, M., Khaloo, S. S., & Koozekonan, A. G. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.929095 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gambichler, T., Rotterdam, S., Altmeyer, P., & Hoffmann, K.
- Affiliations
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Gambichler, Thilo
- ORCID
- Gambichler, Thilo
- Venue
- BMC Dermatology
- Published
- 2001-10-25
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 6-6
- ISSN
- 1471-5945 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC59842
- OpenAlex
- W1598410498
- Cited by
- 78
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Dermatology (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Textile materials and evaluations
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Museology › Fashion and Cultural Textiles
- Keywords
- UV protection, summer clothing, UV protection factor, apparel fabrics, sun protection, standardized testing, polyester fabric
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Environmental Exposure, Equipment Design, Europe, Humans, Materials Testing, Product Labeling, Protective Clothing, Sunburn, Ultraviolet Rays
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