Car windows don't protect against harmful sun exposure, so it might
be a good idea to wear sunglasses and sun block even while driving, a
new study suggests.
While windshields blocked the vast majority of
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, car door windows offered
varying levels of protection from the rays that are tied to cataracts
and skin aging.
"Some cars were as low as 50 percent blockage," said researcher Dr.
Brian Boxer Wachler of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly
Hill, California.
"Even cars that came with factory tint, there was no guarantee that would protect against UV rays," he told Reuters Health.
While windshields offer 95-98% UV protection, side windows do not. Because drivers in the U.S. have their left side exposed to sunlight, UV
rays have been blamed for the increased number of cataracts and skin
cancers that occur on the left side, Boxer Wachler writes in JAMA
Ophthalmology. And, there appears to be no correlation between the cost of the car and its UV-A protection for side windows.
Wearing UV-A and UV-B protective sunglasses as well as sunblock is recommended for anyone traveling in their car for extended periods of time, as well as for anyone predisposed to skin cancer or eye problems. Also, adding clear UV filters to the side windows is another recommendation.
Dr. Esther
fixdhealthcare.com
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