UV Radiation: the skin never forgets

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnoses around the world: textiles with “UV STANDARD 801” offer effective UV protection.

From a medical perspective, we need UV stimulation, particularly UVB, to produce the essential vitamin D. How-
ever, for people with skin types 1 to 3, just 20 to 30 minutes of solar radiation on limited parts of the body are already sufficient, depending on the season/climate. Your skin has its own memory. Thus, you should protect yourself from repeated exposure to aggressive solar radiation. Sitting in the shade instead of in direct sunlight is not sufficient. The renowned Portuguese dermatologist Osvaldo
Correia points out: “It is very important to bear in mind that not all types of shade are the same. With shade
created through a sunshade or clothing, it is not sufficient that it has a UV protection factor (UPF) of 50, it must also show the validation characteristics of UV STANDARD 801”.
The textile industry, in collaboration with the fashion sector, has offered clothing with UV protection for many years. The textiles achieve UV protection factors which are much more effective than the strongest sun creams.

The criteria of the “UV STANDARD 801” should be considered in this regard. Only clothing with the label “UV STANDARD 801” has been tested in wet, stretched and used conditions during the testing process. Sensitive persons, children and seniors in particular, but also anyone else who spends time outdoors, can thus effectively protect themselves against aggressive solar radiation.

Correia specifically recommends workwear with the “UV STANDARD 801” as a benchmark for outdoor occupations. By labelling the protective function against UV radiation, workwear can be considered as Personal Protective Equipment in accordance with directive (EU) 2016/425. It should thus meet the highest requirements for all different predictable usage conditions.

The “UV STANDARD 801” is certified by the member institutes of the International Test Association for Applied Protection against UV Radiation. The UV STANDARD 801 is identified with a label on the textile.