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Correspondent Liu Yong

Can a long-sleeved garment that blocks the sun be called a sun-protective garment? No. Does the more expensive the sun-protective garment, the better the sun protection effect? ​​No.

Tang Jinbo, chief engineer from the National Textile and Garment Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Hubei) of the Wuhan Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, combined with the inspection results of sun-protective clothing in recent years, introduced that when choosing sun-protective clothing, you should read the clothing labels carefully, give priority to brand-name sun-protective clothing, and don't be too greedy for cheap prices.

At present, the supply and sales of sun-protective clothing are booming on e-commerce platforms. The top-selling sun-protective clothing products have sold more than 1,000 pieces, and the most sold ones have even sold more than 100,000 pieces. The prices range from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan.

Not all clothes that can block the sun are called sun-protective clothing. Tang Jinbo introduced that what we usually call sun protection generally refers to the performance of UV protection, which is commonly known as suntan prevention. Conventional clothes have a certain effect of heat insulation and UV protection. Generally speaking, the thicker the clothes are, the tighter the weaving is, the better the light blocking effect is, and the better the UV protection performance is.

Studies have shown that long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays can severely burn exposed skin, cause phototoxicity and photoallergy, lead to solar keratosis, and even evolve into skin cancer.

"At present, there is no specific product standard for sun-protective clothing in our country. The standards that have been issued for sun-protective clothing include "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles" (GB/T18830-2009). The Wuhan Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute also mainly bases its testing of sun-protective clothing on this standard." Tang Jinbo explained that according to this national standard, a product can be called an "anti-UV product" only when the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is greater than 40 and the longest wave transmittance of ultraviolet rays (T(UVA)AV) is less than 5%.

The Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) refers to the ratio of the average effect of ultraviolet radiation when the skin is not protected by fabric to the average effect of ultraviolet radiation when the skin is protected by fabric. The larger the UPF value, the better the UV protection performance of the textile.

UVA is the part with the longest wavelength in ultraviolet rays. It has strong penetrating power and can directly reach the dermis of the skin, causing great damage to the skin. The smaller the UVA transmittance, the better the UV protection performance of the textile.

According to the national standard, UV-proof textiles should be clearly marked on the product. The marking content includes three parts: the national standard number, i.e. GB/T 18830-2009.

When the UV protection factor (UPF) is greater than 40 and less than or equal to 50, it is marked as UPF40+. When the UV protection factor (UPF) is greater than 50, it is marked as UPF50+.

Mark "The protection provided by this product may be reduced with prolonged use, when stretched or when wet."

Tang Jinbo introduced that according to the sampling situation, branded clothing, especially some sports brands, which claimed to have UV protection, were found to meet the qualified standards after testing. The unqualified products were mainly concentrated in some low-priced non-famous brand products on the Internet.

It is understood that the clothing sampled by the Wuhan Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute comes from national, provincial and municipal sampling tasks, as well as from production companies and individual citizens.

In fact, the essence of sun-protective clothing is to absorb and block ultraviolet rays through fabrics. The anti-UV function is not an expensive high-tech product. As far as random inspections are concerned, generally speaking, brand-name sun-protective clothing that costs one or two hundred yuan has good anti-UV performance.

Tang Jinbo reminded that some brands of sun-protective clothing are expensive, largely due to the brand's own value. Under the condition of meeting national standards, the protection function of sun-protective clothing against ultraviolet rays is not much different. Consumers should read the logo on the clothing tag and choose according to their own needs.

(Photo provided by the correspondent)

(Source: Jimu News)