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August 28, 2013

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Apparels that claim to block UV rays fail tests

By Hu Min | August 28, 2013, Wednesday | Print Edition

IF you believe the labels on the shirts that promise to protect you from the scorching summer rays, chances are, it does not work. 

The city’s consumer rights protection commission said yesterday that recent tests showed that the majority of the apparels claiming to protect against the sun failed to pass the ultraviolet (UV) rays test.

Some of the clothing even fared poorly compared to normal T-shirts.

The Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission tested 32 pieces of clothing that claimed or suggested they could block UV rays, but found only one piece that met the national standard.

The samples were priced between 62 yuan (US$10) and 483 yuan, and were bought from shopping malls or online. Some of their manufacturers claimed that the clothes provided strong UV protection against sun with their use of all-round anti-UV technologies, or provided complete protection of skin.

The heat wave that baked the city for more than 40 days this summer boosted their sales.

Among the 32 samples tested, 29 samples, or 90.6 percent of the total, had a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) below 15, indicating they had no UV protection function at all.

A windbreaker sample belonging to Skywards brand and costing 249 yuan, with a “strong UV blocking function,” had a UPF lower than 15. The UPF of another sample belonging to the Kailas brand, and sold as “excellent sun protection,” also figured below 15. Some of the other brands whose windbreaker or T-shirt, overcoat or jacket sample were found to have a UPF below 15 included Playboy, Kolumb, Dunlop and Northern Rock.

UPF is a rating designed for sun-protective textiles and clothing. Only when the UPF reaches above 40 and the ultraviolet radiation transmittance is below 5 percent can the clothes be called “ultraviolet protection products,” according to the national standard on ultraviolet protection of fabrics.

The commission said it tested a black pure cotton T-shirt bought randomly from the market and found its UPF was above 50 with a UV transmittance below 5 percent, thus boasting a better performance against the sun than those “specifically” designed for it.

Out of a total of 18 pieces with UPF figures marked on it, 17 pieces were found to be lower than what was stated on the label, including a female sportswear sample of Nikko.

The UPF of four samples with a hangtag of Clariant Chemicals (China) Ltd, which claimed the company’s technology “helps to block the majority of UV rays and provides a UPF of 50 or 30,” was all below 20. Xu Jian, a marketing executive of Clariant China, said the company applied the standard of New Zealand and Australia in the hangtag, and admitted there was a lapse in supervision and management.

It distributed about 800,000 to 1.1 million hangtags in both English and Chinese in China every year.

“The hangtags mislead Chinese consumers,” said Fan Qiang, an official with the commission.

 

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