Film Protection
Glass tinting and UV film protection are important ways to reduce exposure to UV. There are two types of glass - auto and building - that are the primary focus of the glass tinting and film tinting industry.
Auto Glass
While a car provides substantial shading, the glass areas do not block UV. And, as it is not uncommon to spend several hours a day in a car, the implications for skin problems are high. Further, damage to eyes from glare and direct UV increases the more people drive.
American federal laws on autoglass are based on visible light transmition. They allow only for a vehicle's driver side and passenger side windows to be tinted up to 70% VLT, or visual light transmission. 70% VLT is also the normal factory tint found on most new cars. The focus on visible light transmission is driven by safety issues. The tint can be reflective which is dangerous to other drivers and/or can be dark to see through at night. If you do tint your car windows, you want to minimize UV transmission through the glass while allowing 70% or more visible light transmission.
Building Glass
Window tints have become increasingly popular for protecting furniture and fabrics from fading. They also protect us from UV exposure that we may be unaware of. Unlike UVB, UVA easily passes through glass. Therefore, while you may think you are safe from UV exposure while indoors, you may be exposed to direct and indirect UVA. Window tinting or film protection can block UV up to 99% and is recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Again, you should block transmission of UV while allowing through a reasonable level of visible light.
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