Beach Umbrellas Fail to Block UV Rays from the Sun

Researchers from the University of Valencia (UV) have found that 34 percent of ultraviolet radiation filters through under beach umbrellas. The researchers also claimed that umbrellas intercept the full direct flow that comes from the Sun, but not the diffused radiation that penetrates through from the sides.

"We have proven that irradiance (radiation incidence per unit of surface area) that reaches the ground covered by an umbrella is 34 percent of the total", Jose Antonio Martínez-Lozano, co-author of the study and coordinator of the Research Group of Solar Radiation in UV, highlights to SINC.

To carry out the Project, the team positioned an ultraviolet ray sensor on the base of a canvas umbrella painted blue and white, with a radius of 80cm and height of 1.5 metres.

"The umbrella intercepts the direct radiation that comes from the Sun, but part of the diffused radiation, which makes up approximately 60 percent of the total, reaches the sensor from the sky not covered by the umbrella", explains Martínez-Lozano.

The research has been published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology.

Source-ANI