[pct-l] Study on effectiveness of umbrella for UV protection

[James Vesely]

Other studies are showing that sunlight is not so bad for your health after all.   It has been know that people living in low sunlight regions have higher cancer rates.    

Interesting info:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/20/deadly-melanoma-not-due-vitamin-d-deficiency.aspx


Jim 

-----Original Message-----
From: Pct-L [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Betty Wheeler
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2015 7:08 AM
To: pct list serve
Subject: [pct-l] Study on effectiveness of umbrella for UV protection

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of all umbrellas (and not just ones with special coating like the Chrome Dome) in providing UV protection.
http://www.today.com/health/sun-umbrella-can-protect-against-harmful-rays-1C8995807

According to a U.S. study published in JAMA Dermatology, any fully-functioning handheld umbrella can block more than three-quarters of ultraviolet (UV) light on a sunny day. Black ones do even better, blocking at least 90 percent of rays... . [Researchers] collected 23 working umbrellas - no fabric tears allowed - from people at their medical school.
On a sunny morning they used UV devices to measure radiation just under each umbrella's fabric, and by the nose of the person using it - and then compared this to umbrella-less radiation readings.

All but one of the umbrellas was a standard, handheld rain umbrella. The other was a travel sun umbrella.The sun umbrella blocked more than 99 percent of UV rays. Regular umbrellas worked well too, blocking at least 77 percent of UV light - and more, if the umbrella was darker coloured.

​So: at least 77% block from any umbrella without tears in the fabric; at least 90% from a black umbrella; and 99% from a travel sun umbrella.​