SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING COLOR

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SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING COLOR






Economy-minded consumers who want protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays — but rather not pay premium prices for sun-protective clothing — should think blue and red rather than yellow. Scientists in Spain report that the same cotton fabric dyed deep blue or red provides more excellent UV protection than shades of yellow. Their study could lead to materials with better sun protection.

Ascensión Riva and colleagues explain that the fabric's color is one of the most critical factors in determining how well clothing protects against UV radiation. Gaps exist in scientific knowledge about how paint interacts with other factors to influence a fabric's ability to block ultraviolet protection factor (UPF).

The scientists describe the use of computer models that relate the UV protection achieved with three fabric dyes to their effects in changing the UPF of fabrics and other factors. In doing so, they dyed cotton fabrics in a wide range of red, blue, and yellow shades and measured the ability of each colored sample to absorb UV light.

Fabrics with darker or more intense colors tended to have better UV absorption. Deep blue shades offered the highest absorption, while yellow shades offered the least. The scientists indicate that clothing manufacturers could use information from this study to better design sun-protective clothing.

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