Bad sunscreen Auto side windows can promote skin and eye damage

Side windows in cars provide inadequate UV protection, which increases the risk of cancer
The windshield of your car protects in most cases from the UV-A rays of the sun. Researchers now found that the side windows often offer little or no sunscreen. Therefore, the risk of skin cancer and cataracts may increase during long car journeys due to exposure to UV-A radiation. Should we now apply sunscreen and put on sunglasses before we get in the car?

Many people spend several hours in the car every day. Tidy protection against the UV-A rays is important, especially in summer, to prevent diseases such as skin cancer and cataracts. Researchers from the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute have now discovered in an investigation that the side windows of our cars often offer little or no sun protection. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "JAMA Ophthalmology".

Some people spend a lot of time in their car. Especially in the summer we expose our skin to a long solar radiation. But how good is the protection of our car windows from UV radiation? (Image: contrastwerkstatt / fotolia.com)

Study examines the front and side windows of 15 car manufacturers
Leaving our bodies exposed to the sun for too long may result in negative consequences for our health. The UV-A rays of the sun, for example, increase the likelihood of skin cancer and cataract, explain the experts. Especially in summer, it is important to use sunscreen and not too long in the sun. But some people drive a lot of cars every day and are exposed to the sun all the time, the doctors say. For this reason, the researchers examined in their study, which protection against the sun offer our car windows. The experts tested the car windows of 29 different cars from 15 different car manufacturers.

Many side windows only have a UV-A blockade of about 50 percent
During the investigations, the scientists found that some of the side discs had only a UV-A blockade of 50 percent, explained the lead author. Brian Boxer Wachler. Even if some cars have tinted windows, this is no guarantee that they will protect against the UV rays, the researcher adds. Especially UV-A rays are particularly harmful to the skin, because they penetrate particularly deep. The drivers of cars in the United States are constantly exposing their left side of the body to the sun. Now UV rays have been blamed for the increased incidence of cataracts and skin cancer on the left side of the body, Dr. Boxer watchman

Some side windows hardly protect and damage the human skin
On average, car windows block about 96 percent of UV-A radiation, the researchers explain. The protection of individual automobiles ranges from 95 to 98 percent. However, the side windows offered much less reliable protection from the sun. Only four of the tested cars had windows that blocked more than 90 percent of the UV-A radiation, the experts explain. Windshields generally offer more protection because they are made of laminated glass. Side windows are usually made of tempered glass, add the doctors. So you should not think that the closed windows of your car protect you from the UV light. It is best to wear sunglasses in the car in sunny weather. This blocks the UV-A and UV-B rays, explain the researchers. Some of the car windows even let out enough UV-A radiation to affect the health of human skin. On sunny days, you should wear long-sleeved clothes when you spend a long time in the car, say the authors. (As)