Health experts warn of sunbed cancer epidemic

Irish cancer experts have advised people not to use sunbeds, following a World Health Organisation warning of an "epidemic" of skin cancer from their use.

The WHO yesterday said sunbeds and sunlamps should be banned for under-18s and avoided by everybody else because of their link to cancer.

"We don't want to see an epidemic of skin cancers coming along some 10 years down the road," Michael Repacholi, co-ordinator of WHO's radiation and health programme, said.

His concerns were echoed by Dr Gillian Murphy, consultant dermatologist at the Beaumont and Mater hospitals, who called on the Government to introduce legislation obliging sunbed operators to inform customers of the dangers and to sign a waiver before using the devices.

The Irish Cancer Society said the 185,000 Irish people who use sunbeds regularly were putting themselves at risk of levels of ultra-violet radiation that were up to five times as strong as the midday sun.

"Sunbeds are now more dangerous than they ever were, and they should be the subject of regulation," said Dr Murphy. "More and more research is being done on the consequences of using sunbeds, and the results are all negative."

Although sunbed manufacturers now claimed their products were safer and more "natural", this wasn't the case, she said. "People are clocking up enormous doses of UVA radiation without receiving any warning, thus engendering a false sense of security."

Dr Murphy said she was finding more cases involving skin cancer in hitherto unaffected parts of the body, such as the buttocks or the breasts, which had been caused by all-over tanning machines.

Sunbed use was also linked to other health problems, such as sun allergy and the transmission of cold sores and yeast infections, she said.

There are about 5,500 new cases of skin cancer in Ireland every year, making it the most common type of cancer.

The biggest users of sunbeds are the 25-34 group, of whom one in eight use the machines.