SUN HATS for babies don鈥檛 necessarily protect them from the sun. In tests, two out of three brands on sale in Britain didn鈥檛 provide adequate protection from ultraviolet radiation.
The tests carried out by the SATRA Technology Centre, a lab testing consumer products in Kettering, revealed a wide variation in the protection offered by hats intended for both babies and adults. 鈥淎ll the hats made some sort of claim to protect against the sun,鈥� says Keith Parker, who carried out the research. 鈥淏ut some claims were simply misleading.鈥�
SATRA tested 10 sun hats bought at major high-street retailers or through mail order. Three of the hats were designed for babies and the rest for adults. Six hats scored the maximum with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of more than 50, which means that they cut out over 98 per cent of UV light.
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But four of the hats fell short of this standard. This included a panama hat that had a UPF score of only 20 and two babies鈥� hats, with a rating of just 10. 鈥淲e knew there was a large variation in the protection from clothing,鈥� says Clark, 鈥渂ut we didn鈥檛 know there was a similar variation in hats. It is particularly unfortunate when they are intended for children, because they should have the most protection.鈥�
In Australia, many manufacturers voluntarily put labels stating the UPF on sun hats and clothing. European guidelines recommend that clothes manufacturers do the same, and they can be sued if their products don鈥檛 meet the claimed standard. But the European guidelines only recommend that clothes should have a UPF factor of over 30 鈥� and they do not apply to hats.
This loophole leaves shoppers in Europe with no guidance about how good a particular sun hat is. 鈥淚t takes laboratory tests to determine how effective the hats are at blocking radiation,鈥� says Parker.
Even in grey, gloomy Britain, around 2000 people a year die of skin cancer. The National Radiological Protection Board, the government鈥檚 advisory body on the effects of radiation, warns people to cover up on sunny days and wear hats. 鈥淭he scientific evidence is that sunburn in early years is particularly risky,鈥� says spokesman Michael Clark.