Sun Safety Alliance

“Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. More than one million cases of skin cancers are diagnosed each year, and one person dies from it every hour. As someone with fair skin, how could I not get involved in trying to prevent something so preventable?”

Kathryn Morris is the spokesperson for the new SSA line by Ayana apparel. She will be photographed by Larsen and Talbert Wednesday, June 8th, 2009. Larsen and Talbert have photographed stars for nationally known clients such as ABC Disney, InStyle, Self, Good Housekeeping, Time, Readers Digest, Esquire, Marie Claire, and many others.

About Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) Testing

Over-exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) can cause sunburn, skin damage and an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Clothing provides one of the most convenient forms of protection against UVR but not all garments offer sufficient sun protection. All fabrics have some ability to block UVR and laboratory testing is performed to determine how effective different fabrics are. The ARPANSA UV laboratory performs Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) testing on fabrics and other materials.

The UPF rating indicates how effective a fabric is at blocking out solar ultraviolet radiation. This testing is performed according to Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS4399. UPF ratings range from 15 to 50 with higher ratings indicating more effective blocking and therefore better protection for the wearer of a garment made from the fabric. Fabrics that test higher than UPF 50 are rated as UPF 50+.

ARPANSA (formerly the Australian Radiation Laboratory) has performed these measurements on fabrics since the early 1990's. Testing methods developed here were adopted by the Australian Standard; Sun protective clothing - Evaluation and classification AS/NZS4399: 1996. This standard was released in July 1996 to introduce a standardised UPF testing method and it also specifies appropriate wording to be placed on labels of clothing claiming to offer sun protection. Copies of this standard are available from
Standards Australia.

UPF testing involves exposing a fabric to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and measuring how much is transmitted through the sample. Different wavelengths of radiation in the UVR spectrum have different effects on human skin and this is taken into consideration when calculating the UPF rating.

Factors that contribute to the UPF rating of a fabric are:

• Composition of the yarns (cotton, polyester, etc)
• Tightness of the weave or knit (tighter improves the rating)
• Colour (darker colours are generally better)
• Stretch (more stretch lowers the rating)
• Moisture (many fabrics have lower ratings when wet)
• Condition (worn and faded garments may have reduced ratings)
• Finishing (some fabrics are treated with UV absorbing chemicals)