London, June 22: A ban on sunbeds for under-18s moved a step closer after an official report revealed at least 100 Britons die from using them each year.
Hundreds more suffer malignant cancer or disfiguring injuries – and the toll could be higher, according to Government-appointed experts calling for new legal curbs.
They are demanding that under-18s are barred by law from tanning parlours, with an outright ban on unsupervised or coin-operated sunbeds.
Young woman on sunbed suntanning suntan tanning salon
They also want all commercial sunbed operators to be properly regulated, licensed and inspected.
A new report from scientists on the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (Comare) said the serious and growing public health problem of sunbeds needs controlling in the same way as smoking.
The number of commercial tanning parlours operating in the UK is unknown, and few subscribe to industry-led safety guidelines.
But the Comare report released yesterday said large numbers of children use sunbeds – out of around three million people regularly using them.
And they are increasingly powerful, with the UV output from modern machines 10-15 times more intense than the midday sunshine on a Mediterranean beach.
One tanning device available in the EU generated the equivalent of a year’s worth of sun in just two minutes. Kelly Thompson who suffered 70% burns after a session on a sunbed
The harm caused by sunbeds is difficult to gauge but it is thought the machines result in 370 cases of malignant skin cancer and 100 deaths each year.
Based on 2004 data, the figures are likely to be higher today, says Comare.
Sunbeds produce two kinds of ultra violet (UV) radiation, UVA and UVB. The first penetrates deeply and is most associated with cancer. The second affects the surface of the skin and provides a quick tan, but also burns.
As well as raising the risk of skin cancer, UV rays are known to increase the rate of ageing, leading to lines and wrinkles.
14-year-old Kirsty McRae who suffered 70% burns after a session on a sunbed
Professor Alex Elliott, chairman of Comare, said ‘We believe that sunbeds are causing upwards of 100 deaths per year in the UK.
‘Plus you have the consequences of other types of non-malignant cancer which, although they don’t kill you, can cause moles and disfigurement that need plastic surgery.
‘The cost to the NHS is anywhere upwards of £200 million a year, so this is a fairly major problem.’
As well as calling for children and teenagers to be prevented from using commercial sunbeds, the report also recommends a complete ban on the sale or hire of tanning equipment to under-18s.
Professor Elliott said legislation was underway in Scotland, but new laws would be needed in the rest of the UK.
He said much more research was needed into the hazards of sunbeds and the psychology behind their use.
He compared tackling the problem to the campaign against smoking, needing similar adverts and warnings about the dangers of sunbeds including TV campaigns.
‘This is a campaign for hearts and minds’ he said. ‘We’re on the way to winning the anti-smoking battle; this might be the next one.’
Guidance issued by last month from the Health and Safety Executive recommended for the first time that under-18s do not use sunbeds and all coin-operated salons are supervised by trained staff.
Sunbed salon
However, the guidelines are not enforceable and there are virtually no sanctions available to penalise businesses that fail to observe them.
Ten-year-old Kelly Thompson suffered burns over 70 per cent of her body after a 16-minute tanning session at an unmanned salon in Port Talbot, south Wales earlier this year.
Gillian Merron, Minister for Public Health said ‘Sunbeds can be dangerous – we must ensure that people who use them do so safely. If necessary we will look at new laws to protect young people.
‘We commissioned this report to give us a better understanding of the issues around sunbeds and we will now consider the recommendations in full.’
Kathy Banks, chief executive of the Sunbed Association (TSA) said it supports a ban on unstaffed tanning salons and users under-16.
She said ‘Although unstaffed salons represent only two per cent of the total tanning outlets in the UK, where they exist they can cause a problem.
‘We do not allow unstaffed salons in our membership since our code of practice requires trained staff to be on duty at all times when the premises are open to the public.
‘If you are old enough to get married or join the army, it seems wrong to say you are not old enough to decide if you want to use a sunbed.’
—Agencies–