Is it possible to sunburn through clothing?
I sat for 45 minutes last summer in the hot sun (100°F/38°C). I was pinned in on the bleachers so I wasn't able to get up and move. I could feel the sun burning through my pants. Now I have everyday burning and stinging on my right front upper thigh.
Is it possible that I got sunburned through my clothes?
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Yes it is possible to sunburn through clothing. Clothing does block some of the Ultraviloet radiation but not 100%. A lot of outdoor recreation clothing is now marketed with treatments that gives additional UV protection.
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The wikipedia article on sun protective clothing is very informative. A summary of the relevant parts:
Apart from clothing specifically marketed as protecting against the sun most clothing will not block all sun to fully protect you against sunburn depending on circumstances.
Some general rules of thumb:
- Darker clothes provide more protection than lighter clothes
- Heavier material provides more protection
- Tighter weave improves protection
- More Stretchy/flexible material decreases protection
- The same material provides less protection when wet (important consideration when you can expect to sweat a lot)
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/1663. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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