Sun Protective Clothing - History

History

Although clothing has been used for protection against solar exposure for thousands of years, in modern times sun protective clothing was popularized (but not exclusively used) in Australia as an option or adjunct to sunscreen lotions and sunblock creams. Sun protective clothing and UV protective fabrics in Australia now follow a lab-testing procedure regulated by a federal agency: ARPANSA. This standard was established in 1996 after work by Australian swimwear companies. The British standard was established in 1998. The NRPB (National Radiological Protection Board) forms the basis of the British Standards Institute standard. Using the Australian method as a model, the USA standard was formally established in 2001, and now employs a more stringent testing protocol: This method includes fabric longevity, abrasion/wear and washability. (To date, the focus for sun protection is swimwear, appropriate hats, shade devices and sunglasses for children.) Children's skin can be especially sensitive to the sun and sunscreens. Many children, and parents, find it is much easier to put on a swim shirt when it has a full zipper down the front. UPF testing is now very widely used on clothing used for outdoor activities.

The original UPF rating system was enhanced in the United States by the ASTM (American Standards and Testing Methods) Committee D13:65 at the behest of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to qualify and standardize the emerging sun protective clothing and textile industry. When the FDA discontinued regulating sun-protective clothing, the Solar Protective Factory took the lead in developing performance and durability testing standards by working with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). with the help of Harvey Shakowski and Terry Breese from the Solar Protective Factory, a sun protective fabric company that was formed in 1989. The CEO of the Solar Protective Factory served as the chairman of the ASTM committee (D13.65) working with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to establish the UPF testing protocols and labeling standards which are presently used in the United States, which are currently the strictest in the world.

The FDA had reviewed clothing making sun protection claims (SPF, % UV blockage, or skin cancer prevention claims) in 1992. Only one brand of sun protective clothing, Solumbra, was reviewed and cleared under medical device regulations. The FDA initially regulated sun protective clothing as a medical device, but latter transferred oversight for general sun protective clothing to the FTC. The UPF rating system may eventually be adopted by interested apparel and domestic textile/fabric manufacturers in the industry at large as a "value added" program strategic to complement consumer safety and consumer awareness. Before UPF standards were in place, SPF ratings were used for clothing, this has since been disregarded as a means of measuring a fabrics ability to block UV rays, since SPF is a rating that is used for skin applications, it measures how much longer a person's skin takes to redden when the application was applied. UPF ratings clearly rate a fabrics ability to block UV radiation.