Children's sun protection testing
Tests by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards on sun protection equipment and clothing for kids has revealed that some is of little use.
Poor design and a lack of labelling are problems Trading Standards Officers encountered.
Scientific evidence shows that if people suffer from sunburn as a child they may be at increased risk from skin cancer in later life.
Trading Standards Officers tested 30 products including body/swim suits, hats, tops, pushchair shades and garden & beach shades.
Six pushchair parasols and sunshades were tested for their ability to protect the user from the suns UV (ultraviolet) rays.
Only one was labelled with an Ultra Violet Protection Factor (UPF) rating whilst the others which ranged from 7 to 26 (UPF rating), did not give parents any indication of the protection they offered .
One even had holes in the material as part of the design allowing UV rays through. Further, some of the shades were too small to cover the whole child.
UPF 50 is the highest rating that can be considered accurate and in the UK it is unlikely that a UPF value of over 50 would be required. A garment labelled UPF 50 would reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the covered skin to 1/50 of that reaching bare skin.
Five of the six garden and beach shades tested did offer a UPF of 50+. However, in some cases their design or lack of information let them down. All the items would need to be moved regularly to be effective, although their design meant some offered very little actual shade. Some items that provided adequate protection did not include this information.
The swim/body suits provided better levels of protection, although this was not always obvious to the purchaser. Of the six swim/body suits tested, only three claimed to offer UV protection, yet tests revealed that all six had a UPF of 50+.
Some provided good all round protection, with long sleeves and trousers, whilst others because of their design failed to protect shoulders, legs or backs.
Without clear labels, it is impossible for parents to know what level of protection, if any, children’s clothing or other child related items offers.
It was found that it was not the weight of the fabric but the density of the weave that gave higher protection but this was reduced if the fabric was wet or stretched.
All products tested were purchased from well known High St. retailers including department stores, fashion and children’s clothing retailers, toy stores and pound shops.
As a result of the tests Warwickshire Trading Standards Officers believe that better labelling would help parents know what protection an item will provide and are calling on manufacturers to carry out these straightforward tests on their child products and label them accordingly.
However, even garments and equipment which are highly protective are let down if their design allows the suns UV rays in. Therefore officers also want manufacturers to give more consideration the design of the product in terms of sun protection as well.
Warwickshire Trading Standards also has the following sun safety advice for parents:
* Never leave your baby in the sun
* Cover up with clothes (preferably loose cotton clothing with a close weave), and a broad brimmed hat preferably with a flap down the back
* Wet clothing can stretch and lose up to 50% of its UV protection. Therefore put children in dry clothes after playing in water.
* Avoid the sun at its most intensive, that’s between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm and play in the shade where possible.
* Use a factor 15 or higher sunscreen, and a broad spectrum type (UVA and UVB protection)
* Wear UV sunglasses