SOLSET: Protection against sunrays

Simple, low-cost garment designed to protect field workers and day laborers from solar radiation.

Long Description

The way that climate change is affecting the northwest area of Mexico and the southwest area of the United States, being a warm zone, is that heat concentrates in the atmosphere generating very high temperatures and hot weather. Agriculture is key activity in these regions because heat boosts and accelerates crops’ growth, creating lots of job offer. Currently, the Mexican population engaged in agricultural activities is 5.5 million people. These are millions of people who are exposed day by day to solar radiation directly.

Some of the consequences of living in this region are from tanning, sunstroke, heat stroke to tumors and skin cancer. Being a purely physical job that they do, field workers need strength, well-being and health to be able to perform properly. We want to prevent the negative effects of solar heat and radiation on the health of day laborers, mainly skin alterations and cancer.

By focusing on a low cost, functional and simple design, we propose the design of a garment to protect field workers or day laborers from solar radiation. Made from cotton fabric material, it is designed to cover the sun from shoulder to head, allowing perspiration, visibility, breathing and movement; lasting for a long period of time of at least 11 months (the usual working time of field laborers).