Ultraviolet radiation protection factors for clothing

There has been considerable interest and activity in Australia during recent years in providing ultraviolet radiation protection for the public and the work force. Many requests from the public and manufacturers have been received by the Australian Radiation Laboratory for the quantification of the protection provided by different articles of clothing. The laboratory has been making spectral measurements of the ultraviolet radiation transmission of materials and fabrics for a number of years and, to this date, have tested and rated > 2,000 samples. The laboratory test methods for making spectral transmission measurements of both dry and wet fabric samples are described along with the radiometric test methods to determine ultraviolet radiation transmission. A scheme to designate the amount of ultraviolet radiation protection of materials using ultraviolet protection factors is outlined and used to compare the results obtained by different test methods. Some typical measurement results are also summarized and presented.