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Photoprotection
of Fabrics
Morison, Warwick 1
Johns Hopkins University1
Abstract-
Clothing and other apparel such as hats and sunglasses should be considered
as part of package of protective measures against solar UV exposure.
There has been a recent surge of interest in clothing as protection
and in Europe, Australia and North America standards have been developed
for evaluating the protective value of fabrics. In vitro tests and promotion
of an ultraviolet protective factor (UPF) have been the main focus of
this effort. Simply looking at or through a fabric are not a good guide
to its protective effect and instead measurements under controlled conditions
are required. The UPF is altered by properties of the fabric such as
the cover factor, weight type of fiber, color and presence of UV absorbers,
wetting, stretching, washing and wearing are additional variables that
can greatly alter the UPF. Finally, how a fabric is used in a garment
is also important since a bikini with a high UPF affords little protection.
Keywords: UPF
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