Assessment of sun protection for children's summer 2005 clothing collection

Overexposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in childhoodis considered to be a critical factor for developing skin cancerin later life. Clothing may offer a simple and effective meansof protection against overexposure to the sun, but its use hasoften been underrated in public opinion. The Health ProtectionAgency, in close collaboration with a number of UK retailers,conducted a study to evaluate the UVR protection characteristicsof the summer 2005 collection of children's clothing for outdooractivity. The current paper presents a summary of the assessmentand the effects of stretching and wetting on the UltravioletProtection Factor (UPF) rating of children's clothing. The resultsdemonstrate the need for better public guidance in sun protectionof children and more comprehensive evaluation procedures forsun protection provided by clothing.