There is increasing evidence that the inappropriate use of sunbeds contributes to the incidence of skin cancer. Sunbeds give out harmful UV rays which damage the DNA in our skin cells. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) estimates that sunbeds cause around 100 deaths from melanoma every year in the UK. The more you use a sunbed the greater your risk of skin cancer. Using a sunbed once a month or more can increase your risk of skin cancer by more than half. So when the tan fades, the damage remains. Sunbeds also cause premature skin ageing, which means that your skin becomes coarse, leathery and wrinkled at a younger age.
The CIEH is currently working with CRUK, through the Sunsmart campaign, to look at potential ways of controlling the use of sunbeds. We have already achieved considerable success in our campaign to get sunbeds removed from local authority-run leisure centres.
We have also been working with the HSE on the revision of its guidance note on controlling health risks from the use of UV tanning equipment. Although the proposed revision will help to provide more detailed guidance on the health risks involved, we are urging1 the Government to go further. We believe that there is now sufficient evidence to justify a ban on under 18’s using sunbeds and to prevent the operation of unmanned facilities.
Research2 carried out by the CIEH in Wales in 2008 has found that more than half of tanning salons surveyed, both manned and unmanned, will allow children under 16 to use a sunbed and a staggering 88 percent of premises would allow a customer to have a tanning session every day despite the risk of skin cancer.
The Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) has set up a working group, upon which the CIEH is represented, to provide advice to the government on the need for additional controls.
Sunbeds do not just harm people in Britain. They are becoming a cause for concern across the world. The CIEH is currently working with the European Society of Skin Cancer Prevention (Euroskin) to develop a code of practice that will apply to sunbed salons across the continent.
References
- CIEH response to revised HSE guidance on controlling the health risks associated with working with UV tanning equipment – July 2008 (PDF)
- CIEH Wales Sunbed Control Study Group - Research Report (PDF)
