Influence of Fluorescent Whitening Agents on Ultraviolet Protection of Pretreated Cotton.

Despite some beneficial effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on skin, radiation can cause sunburn, allergies, skin aging, and even skin cancer. Protection from clothing is, in most cases, inadequate. To help prevent skin damage, fabrics can be treated with UV absorbers. While visible light interacts with dyes, UV radiation also interacts with UV absorbers and fluorescent whitening agents (FWA) in fabric. In this study, the influence of FWA on UV protection of pretreated cotton fabric was investigated. For better adsorption of FWA, cotton fabric was pretreated during mercerization with a cationic compound. This was followed by chemical and optical bleaching, and finally by treatment with a UV absorber. The influence of pretreatments on the mechanical properties of the cotton fabric was investigated as well. ` [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]