UV Shield For Automobiles

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I found another article from the Sept. 2001 issue of Skin and Allergy

News. This one is the same stuff we've heard before except for the

last paragraph. It lists a manufacturer of a UV window shield which

sounds good.

Take care,

Matija

For the long haul

Close Car Windows to Limit UV Rays

Walsh

New York Bureau

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND — Professional drivers and others who spend long

periods of time behind the wheel should be advised to keep vehicle

windows closed and rely on air conditioning on sunny days to minimize

ultraviolet exposure.

Further protection with clothing and sunscreens also may be needed in

certain circumstances because typical car windows filter only UVB

rays, Dr. Matthias Moehrle advised in a poster session at the 8th

World Congress on Cancers of the Skin.

A professional driver who keeps the car windows closed could expect

an annual UV exposure of 35 minimal erythema doses (MED) during 220

working days, which is " comparable to a 1-week skiing trip, " noted

Dr. Moehrle of the University of Tübingen (Germany).

This observation prompted a study using Mercedes-Benz and

DaimlerChrysler automobiles with light-insulated windows of a quality

expected to provide " good UV protection to car passengers, " Dr.

Moehrle commented.

Nonetheless, even with these special windows, the recommended

exposure limit for indoor workers set by the International Commission

on Nonionizing Radiation Protection—0.3 MED per 8-hour shift—was

sometimes exceeded on sunny days.

The experiment, which was conducted over 2 days in June 2000 and used

standard test dummies fitted with dosimeters, attempted to replicate

the actual conditions of driving and sun orientation. The ambient

radiation was 49.4 MED, and the mean UV dose was calculated from the

UV exposure of the driver's upper left arm. Exposures to passengers

also were calculated.

With the windows closed, mean UV exposure ranged from 0.08 to 0.1 MED

per hour, corresponding to a relative personal dose of 2.8%-3.5% of

ambient radiation.

When windows were opened, however, mean UV exposure exceeded 0.7 MED

per hour, corresponding to a relative personal dose of 24.8% of

ambient radiation.

Measurements also were taken for subjects in an open convertible

vehicle, with a resulting mean personal exposure of 1.8 MED per hour,

corresponding to a relative personal dose of 61.4% of ambient

radiation.

While keeping windows closed certainly can help limit UV exposure,

drivers who are particularly concerned about their risk also can

consider having UV filtering film applied to their car windows. One

such product, UVShield, manufactured by CPFilms Inc., sville,

Va., blocks 99.9% of all UV light, including rays in the UVA range.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends the product.