ABOUT ONE in 20 cases of the most dangerous form of skin cancer can be attributed to sunbed use, research published today suggests.
Researchers from the International Prevention Research Institute in France and the European Institute of Oncology in Italy analysed the results of 27 studies on skin cancer and sunbed use carried out in Europe between 1981 and 2012. The number of skin cancer cases included in the analysis was 11,428.
The study, published online by the British Medical Journal, enabled doctors to calculate that out of 63,942 new cases of malignant melanoma (the type of skin cancer most likely to spread) diagnosed each year in Europe, an estimated 3,438 (5.4 per cent) are related to sunbed use.
The authors estimate that from the 63,942 new cases of melanoma diagnosed every year in 18 western European countries, 794 deaths (498 women and 296 men) would be caused by sunbed use.
Some 721 cases of melanoma are diagnosed in Ireland each year.
Modern indoor tanning equipment mainly emits in the ultraviolet A range; a fraction of the spectrum is in the ultraviolet B range. Powerful ultraviolet tanning units may be 10-15 times stronger than the midday sunlight on the Mediterranean Sea, and repeated exposure to large amounts of ultraviolet A delivered to the skin in relatively short periods (typically 10-20 minutes) poses a risk to humans.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified the whole ultraviolet spectrum and indoor tanning devices as carcinogenic.
A study from 2005 found a 75 per cent increased risk of melanoma if sunbed sessions were started during adolescence or early adulthood. However no studies since then have estimated the impact of melanomas due to sunbeds in western Europe. This latest research estimates the risk of skin cancer doubles if sunbed use starts before the age of 35.
The authors believe that earlier studies tended to underestimate the risks of indoor tanning because the use of these devices is relatively new. Furthermore, from 2005 to 2011, most risks have increased. Future studies could therefore demonstrate an even higher risk, they say.
A new law banning under-18s from using sunbeds in the North came into force in May. Legislation is also due to be enacted in the Republic to ban under-18s from using sunbeds.
