Department of Health and Social Care
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Under 18s protected from sunbed dangers
Businesses will face fines of up to £20,000 if they allow under 18s to use sunbeds from Friday 8 April, Public Health Minister Anne Milton announced today.
The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 aims to protect under 18s in search of a year-round tan from putting their health at risk.
Over-exposure to the UV rays has become the main cause of skin cancer. Despite this danger, the fashion for sun-kissed skin has led to a surge in demand for the artificial tanning industry.
The change in the law comes as Cancer Research UK launches the 2011 SunSmart campaign, which shows around two people under 35 are diagnosed with melanoma – the more serious form of skin cancer – each day. On average, six per cent of 11-17 year olds in England use sunbeds with 50 per cent of 15-17 year-old girls in Liverpool and Sunderland using them.
The Act will prevent under 18 year olds from:
being allowed to use tanning salons and sunbeds at premises including beauty salons, leisure centres, gyms and hotels;being offered the use of a sunbed; andbeing allowed to be in an area that is reserved for sunbed users.
Local Authorities will be responsible for enforcing the Act by inspecting businesses and premises to make sure they are complying with the new regulations.
Anne Milton said:
"Cases of skin cancer continue to rise each year. This new law will go some way to help reduce one of the biggest cancers among 15-24 year olds.
"We want to protect under 18s from the dangers of sunbeds and reduce the number of young people getting skin cancer.
"My message to young sunbed users is clear: you are putting your health at risk. Intense bursts of UV radiation can cause damage to your skin, even after just one use."
Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said:
“The scientific evidence is clear - sunbeds increase your risk of getting skin cancer, with an estimated 100 deaths a year from skin cancer as a result of people using sunbeds.
“Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. Damage to the skin from artificial or natural sunlight can take years to develop and young people are particularly vulnerable, which is why I welcome this new law that protects the under 18s.
“It is important that young people are aware they putting their health at risk by using sunbeds, and my advice to people of all ages is that sunbeds are not safe for cosmetic purposes.”
Sarah Woolnough, Cancer Research UK’s director of policy, said:
“As well as protecting under 18s from sunbed use, we hope the legislation sends a clear message to all that using a sunbed increases the risk of skin cancer. The World Health Organisation has classified sunbed use in its highest risk category for cancer, alongside tobacco.
“Skin cancer rates continue to rise rapidly, especially among under-35s as shown by our SunSmart campaign earlier this week, so we encourage people to take care in the sun and avoid using sunbeds. The safest way to get a tan is to fake it.”
Notes to Editors
1. For media enquiries contact the Department of Health press office on 020 7210 5221.
2. The change in legislation applies in England and Wales.
3. A full copy of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 can be found here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/20
4. A copy of the guidance on the implementation of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 can be found on the DH website from 8 April.
5. The Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government commissioned cancer Research UK to explore the extent and patterns of sunbed use among children in the UK. The findings were released in November 2009 and a peer-review study was published in the British Medical Journal in March 2010: http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c877.full
6. About Cancer Research UK
• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research
• The charity’s groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. This work is funded entirely by the public.
• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates double in the last forty years.
• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 7121 6699 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org
Leatha Face is the comedy creation of Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign which aims to show young people how dangerous sunbeds really are. In his bid for rap stardom, Leatha Face is posting his ‘tanalicious’ raps on his very own YouTube channel and Facebook page. Despite his best efforts to look like a rap star, what his videos actually show is Leatha Face’s sunbed loving rhymes not quite getting the reaction he’s after. But Leatha Face is not alone in dismissing the health risks of sunbeds in his quest for a permanent tan. More than one quarter of a million children aged 11-17 years are risking their health by seeking a tan from sunbeds, with the average age of first use being just 14 years old. Visit Leatha Face’s facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LeathaFaceUK
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk
