Sunscreen for welders

01 · The work

Hood down, collar open

You flip the hood down and strike an arc. The helmet and lens protect your eyes and face from the direct light. But UV also bounces off the table, the walls and the steel around you, and it finds the skin your hood and leathers leave open: the back of the neck, the ears, the wrists.

Fitters and helpers working next to the arc are exposed too, even when they aren’t welding.

Welders are exposed to direct UV from the arc and to UV reflected off hard, smooth surfaces nearby.R&R Lotion, Protecting Welders from the Dangers of UV Radiation white paper (2023), Introduction

02 · The exposure

All three kinds of UV, up close

• UVC
• UVB
• UVA

The sun’s UVC is absorbed by the ozone layer and doesn’t reach you. The arc is different. It produces UV across the A, B and C ranges, roughly 200 to 400 nanometers, a few feet from your skin, and at that distance the air doesn’t absorb much of it.

UVB is the main cause of sunburn. UVA goes deeper and drives skin aging. UVC carries the most energy, and exposed skin can burn badly.

Arc welding produces UV in the A, B and C ranges, and the short distance between the arc and the welder’s skin may not be enough to absorb most of the UVB and UVC.R&R Lotion, Protecting Welders from the Dangers of UV Radiation white paper (2023), UV Radiation & Welding

03 · What develops

Arc burn now, DNA damage later

• UV
• DNA
• Damage

Exposed skin can burn from the arc the same way it burns in the sun: red and painful. The eyes get their own version, “welder’s flash” or arc eye, a painful inflammation of the cornea.

Under every burn, UV damages the DNA in skin cells. Over a career that damage adds up and raises the risk of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Skin cancer is one of the few cancers you can usually see. Check your skin, have someone check the places you can’t see, and watch moles for the ABCDEs: Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, Evolving.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.R&R Lotion, Protecting Welders from the Dangers of UV Radiation white paper (2023), Skin Cancer Facts

04 · Why we built it

Built for the skin your hood misses

A booth needs a sunscreen that works with the job: a lotion, not a flammable spray near an open arc; nothing that runs into your eyes when you sweat under the hood; and broad-spectrum coverage.

About the ingredient: zinc oxide is a mineral. It reflects and scatters UV away from the skin and covers roughly 290 to 400 nanometers, both UVA and UVB. As a material it also reflects UVC. That’s a property of the mineral, not a claim for the sunscreen, which is tested and labeled for UVA and UVB.R&R Lotion, Skin Cancer white paper (2024), Ingredients; Protecting Welders from the Dangers of UV Radiation white paper (2023), Zinc Oxide for Welders

Used as directed with other sun protection measures, a broad spectrum SPF 15+ sunscreen helps reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun.The FDA’s broad-spectrum sunscreen statement (2011 labeling rule)

05 · On shift

When to put it on

1. 1
   Before the shiftApply liberally to the back of the neck, ears, face and wrists: any skin outside the hood, jacket and gloves. Put it on 15 minutes before you strike an arc.
2. 2
   Every breakReapply at least every 2 hours.
3. 3
   After sweatingReapply after 80 minutes of sweating, and right after you towel off.
4. 4
   End of shiftWash up with I.C. Heavy Duty Hand Cleaner, then I.C. Advanced Repair Hand Cream on dry or cracked hands.

Check the Drug Facts on the label for full directions. Sunscreen doesn’t replace the right helmet shade or FR clothing. For lips, there’s I.C. Sunscreen Lip Balm.