Suns Skin Cancer Causing UV Rays Penetrate Unprotected Glass

Washington, D.C. - May 14, 2019 - While many people are aware the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays may lead to skin cancers on unprotected skin outdoors, medical research indicates that being exposed to the sun's harmful UV rays indoors may also lead to skin damage, whether inside a vehicle or building.

"Unprotected glass, even glass that is colored to appear darkened, allows a significant amount of the sun's damaging UV rays to pass straight in and onto your skin, making sun protection necessary inside as well as outside," said Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association (IWFA).  "All quality window films block 99 percent of the sun's UV rays and should be installed. The impact of the sun's UV harmful rays are cumulative and may lead to skin cancer," said Smith.

Study after study by dermatologists state that most skin cancers show up on the left side of the face and upper arm; this is the side most exposed to the sun while driving a vehicle. On average, one person dies of melanoma skin cancer every hour, according to the Melanoma Foundation.

Here's how to protect your skin when indoors from UV rays using window film:

• Have window film professionally installed on your vehicles. Professional installers may be more familiar with the legal level of window film allowed locally.
• When indoors, whether at work or at home, have window film installed on windows. It will block 99 percent of the sun's UV that not only harms the skin, but also leads to fading of furnishings. Window film starts working right away to save on energy by reducing solar heat gain in summer and by keeping heat in during colder months. Informative booklets are offered free on the IWFA Consumer page under the 'Literature' tab at https://iwfa.com/consumers/Literature.