title: The sun protective effect of clothing, including beachwear.
abstract: Clothing represents a significant though underutilised form of sun protection but the literature reveals few studies dealing with this subject. This study used a solar simulator to assess in vivo sun protection factors (SPF) for two clothing items of beachwear - a synthetic surf shirt and a combination cotton/polyester T-shirt. The tests showed that the T-shirt had a relative SPF of 15, and the surf shirt an SPF of 36. This however decreased by a factor of 1/3 in both cases when the material was wet. Overall, this compares favourably with conventional sunscreens and also has the advantage of a wide spectrum of cover.
authors.affiliation: Royal Newcastle Hospital.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Jevtic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000592:standards; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays