Do sun hats protect our youngsters?

Last updated at 11:20 11 July 2002


Two out of three brands of sun hats for babies may not give enough protection, an alarming report reveals.

Doctors say babies must be protected from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, as their skin is particularly vulnerable.

But trials carried out by the SATRA Technology Centre, which tests consumer products in Kettering, Northants, revealed a wide variation in the effectiveness of hats made for both babies and adults.

'All the hats made some sort of claim to protect against the sun,' said Keith Parker, who carried out the research.

SATRA tested ten sun hats bought at major high street retailers or by mail order. Three were designed for babies.

Six hats scored the maximum, with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of more than 50, which means they cut out more than 98 per cent of UV light.

But four fell short of this standard, New Scientist magazine reports today.

The most expensive, an adult's panama hat, had a UPF score of only 20 and two of the three babies' hats scored just ten.

European guidelines recommend that labels on clothes indicate how much UV protection they offer.

But the guidelines do not apply to hats.

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