Nylon is one of the lightest fibres around, and one of the strongest (Gohl and Vilensky,1989,pg 134-135). It also has a high resistance to abrasion and will not deteriorate with age(Keep,1992,pg15). In addition to the strength of the fabric it is also the most absorbent synthetic fibre (Gohl and Vilensky,1989,pg 134-135). When dry it contains 4% of moisture absorbing up to 7% before felling wet (Gohl and Vilensky,1989,pg 134-135). This absorbency may seem poor but the remaining water sits on the surface of the fabric and runs off allowing it to dry quickly and does not need ironing, making it ideal for swimwear ( Mcnamrara and Snelling, 1995,pg 173). Nylon is an effective fibre to use because when it is wet it does not shrink and retains its shape (Keep,1992,pg15). All these characteristics are important to our climate and make nylon a exceptional choice for protection and sun safety as it is quick dry, resistant to sunlight and long lasting.
Sunsafe clothing has been manufactured to keep skin from soaking up the harmful UV rays. Sunsafe clothing with a UPF ( ultraviolet protection factor ) of 15+ ( see appendix 3) will block out 93% of UVA/UVB while wearing a UPF of 50+ ( see appendix 3) you will be blocking 98% of UVA/UVB ( http://www.americansun.org ). Sunsafe clothing is a unique fabric that gets tested with special reflectance equipment (ie spectrophotometer) (http://www.americansun.org). There are three primary factors that affect the quality of sun protective clothing. These are style, weave and chemical enhancement (http://www.americansun.org). Chemical enhancement is where clothing may be laundered with optical brighteners or treated with chemical absorbers or treated with chemical absorbers to increase their UV productiveness (http://www.americansun.org).
Fabrics made with a tight weave (see appendix 4) blocks more sunlight than fabric with a loose weave (see appendix 4) (QLD Cancer Fund booklet 2001).
