Tinted car windows protect the skin, specialist says
A leading skin specialist has called for the easing of regulations on tinted car windows, deploring the fact that, in 2010, technology is unavailable to gauge the tint.
The Times has reported that traffic police and wardens do not have equipment to gauge whether a vehicle’s tinted windows are legal or not and have to resort to making a visual assessment. Consultant dermatologist Lawrence Scerri said: “The case is very relevant because people spend a lot of time in the car. Normal windows restrict the passage of UVB rays only but tinted windows cut UVA rays which increase chances of premature skin ageing.”
The consultant was speaking on Tuesday when Charmaine Gauci and Marianne Massa, both from the Directorate for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and the Parliamentary Assistant for Health, Peter Micallef, standing in the shade of an olive tree, dealt with the negative effects of the sun’s rays in an event organised by the directorate at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, in Valletta.
Dr Micallef highlighted the importance of applying sunscreen, keeping to the shade, wearing protective clothing and drinking plenty of water. He also advised avoidance of the sun’s harmful rays, especially between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest. At the end of the meeting, scout members handed out information bookmarks and sunscreen samples to Upper Barrakka Gardens visitors.
7 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Dr Albert Bezzina
Jul 30th 2010, 14:50
With all due respect to my colleague, though Dr Scerri has a point when he states that 'people spend a lot of time in the car', this could only apply to workers in public transport and commercial transport sector, vehicles of which are conspicuously devoid of heavily tinted windows - with a few exceptions no doubt. Most people spend more time out of their vehicles in the sun, so opting for (heavily) tinted road vehicle windows would be of little extra health benefit. I would speculate that the prevalence of heavily tinted car windows and their particular stereotype vehicle owner would reveal that they have no or little awareness of the minor health benefits from having tinted windows.
I insist that the possible health benefits of heavily tinted car windows outweigh the disadvantages related to safe driving. The slow, bumper to bumper flow of vehicles on Maltese roads requires drivers to look ahead through the glass elements of the vehicle in front in order to see further ahead and anticipate the need for actions like sudden breaking. Heavily tinted windows create sever loss of darkness (scotoptic) vision both at night and especially when entering our dark badly illuminated tunnels.
Rob Hartmann
Jul 30th 2010, 20:15
Yes true, but are you by any chance an optician? cause back in my country of Holland, a person taking his driving test of which only 1 in 3 passes at least the first time many have to sit their theroy and practical many times before a licence is granted and before they sit in a vehicle they should be able to read a number plate at a distance of 25+ meters away bearing in mind that our plates are much smaller then the British's and perhaps Malta's, any car with a 75% black windows tinted is out the question, only factory regulated UV's are allowed on our roads,but then again you cannot compare the standard of drivng in Malta with ours, sorry to say but the Maltese need to resit their driving test and also the Theory test, otherwise we will be seeing alot more monuments on your roads on our next visit. Good Luck & .
Raymond Cutajar
Jul 31st 2010, 08:11
One should get feedback from VRT stations as to who really uses heavy tint and it is very common for such cars' owners to go to stations who gives a pass vrt cert to what should be a fail item on the cert.
Yes usually I ask such owners that such tint should be made fainter according to law only not to return.
mind you Joe and Mary public after wards I get info that that car had tha vrt passed in another vrt station !
Dr Albert Bezzina
Jul 31st 2010, 08:49
@ Rob Hartmann
Ophthalmologist, thanks.
Agree with you on all counts. I have personally reviewed the incidence of driver visual acuity in Malta of a sizable sample. Around 10% had an acuity below that stipulated by law (at least 6/9 in the better eye. Half of those are BELOW 6/12 (25% worse than 6/9) in the better eye. In the UK experienced drivers are asked by their eye specialist to regulate their driving style in case of less than optimal vision, or recommend not to drive in case of poor vision. Doctor patient confidentiality prevents the doctor from reporting to the DVLA unless there is reason to expect the patient to be a 'clear and present danger'. I have personally had to ask the Comm of Police to withdraw a Minibus driver permit in a visually impaired driver. There have to be safeguards against allowing drivers who are physically or mentally impaired. There are supposed to be set standards which are not enforced. The biggest ignored factor which impairs safe driving is alcohol intoxication, consumption of illegal substances (drugs) and performance altering medication.
E.Muscat
Jul 30th 2010, 13:50
Dr.Micallef should be more concerned with the social effects that tinted windows have on people in general.
All the arguments he brought for tinted glasses are solved by:
1.The roof of the car stops 90 per cent of the sun rays.
2.We need sunshine to give us additional vitamin B.
3.For people who spend hours in cars and are sun adverse,sunglasses are recommended and adequate clothes in summer!
4.In Malta,we have plenty of shade,anyway!
So the few people who cannot feel adequate with the sun should either stay indoors because they are sick or use sun tan lotion even though they are not on the beach but in their car!
Tony Aguis ex-pat
Jul 30th 2010, 13:00
There you go malta Live and learn, U heared from the horse's mouth :tinted windows protect the skin from UVB... so look listen and learn, come on the tiny island that roars like a lion is in europe now so listen to the people that know what they are talking about.
george Abdilla
Jul 30th 2010, 11:43
A simple photographic lightmeter which has been availible on the market for the past 50 years could be used to measure the light coming in through tinted glass. form this one would be able to determine the percentage of light being stoped and hence if it is legal or not, but alas, the authorities keep failing at understanding simple laws of physics, and nature