[oldsalt]

My EC has privacy glass on all windows excepting the drivers and front passenger windows.

I went to a window tinting shop yesterday and was told that tint would stop UVA radiation from entering the vehicle.

However, they refused to tint the sunroof as the glue may melt resulting in the tint falling off due to gravity.

In our State they can only apply tint that is 35%, as such it's actually lighter in color than the existing windows.

So, I asked Mitsubishi, what is the percentage of UV light the glass on the EC allows through into the cabin.

Here is their reply, which tells me nothing!

Can anyone decode the below please?

The specification for our window tints firstly, comply with ADR and have been tested by MMC. The tests that MMC do on the window glass however, are not specifically tested for UVA/UVB. The test range overlap both UV spectrums. Therefore the actual % for the window glass cannot be provided.

According to a glass measurement standard based on ISO 9050-2003, UV wavelength band is defined 300nm through 380nm. Therefore, our data of UV cut ratio are measured for UV 300nm through 380nm, not separated UV wavelength bands like UV-A, B and C.

Name Abbreviation Wavelength (nm)
Ultraviolet A UVA 315–400
Ultraviolet B UVB 280–315
Ultraviolet C UVC 100–280
Chat conversation end
Type a message...

 

[ribuck]

Mitsubishi's reply is just saying that they measure the UV attenuation across the entire UV spectrum -- including UVA, UVB and UVC -- but without measuring each of these separately.

The earth's atmosphere blocks UVC, so UVC is not an issue. All window glass is good at blocking UVB, so UVB is not an issue. All modern car windscreens effectively block UVA, so this just leaves the side windows (and perhaps the sunroof) as possible sources of UVA. Even untreated glass blocks about 50% of UVA. It's likely that car windows have a higher blockage than this, but I can't find any figures.

UVA causes tanning, and is the type of UV used with tanning beds. Many years ago, I was sunburned on my right arm by driving from Sydney to Melbourne in summer with the driver's window wide open. However, I've done the same journey many times in broad sunshine (in various cars) with the driver's window closed, and have never received a suntan. Therefore, I'm happy that in practice the side windows of cars block enough UVA.

If you want to increase the blocking of UVA, you can get window films that specifically target UVA. But a regular visually-tinted window film doesn't necessarily block any UV at all.