BMA Cymru support Julie Morgan MP's private members bill

Julie Morgan, MP for Cardiff North has put down a private members bill which would ban under 18’s from using sunbeds, and ensure all sunbed use in England and Wales would be supervised.

BMA Cymru are delighted that Julie has chosen to use her bill to close a loophole in law to protect the public – particularly young people – from the dangers of sunbeds and from over-exposure to intense UV radiation.

This is something we have campaigned heavily on this year in Wales - calling for tighter regulation of the commercial sunbed industry; particularly for a ban on coin-operated / unsupervised salons and a ban on the use by under 18s.

The link between exposure to UV radiation and skin cancer is now indisputable – shown by the recent decision by the International Agency for Research on Cancer to raise the sunbed classification to “carcinogenic to humans” - the highest risk category.

Just one session a month on a sunbed doubles the average individual's annual dose of UV radiation and this is proven to greatly increase the risk of cancer, skin and eye problems in later life.

For us the essential point is that there is no such thing as a safe tan (unless it comes out of a bottle). The damage to your skin remains long after a tan has faded.

There are no formal guidelines about standards of private sector tanning salons, the ones which do exist are only advisory and providers are free to ignore them. Anyone can decide to set up a tanning salon, and they need no training or qualifications.

In 2009, there is no excuse for such lax regulation. When we gave evidence to the National Assembly for Wale’s Health Committee inquiry a few months ago that is exactly what we said – we are delighted that the Committee took our recommendations forward, and now we are even more delighted that Julie Morgan MPs Private Members Bill could close this gap in public protection on a UK level for good. We will do everything we can to support her.

The bill has it’s second reading on 29 January 2010 – we will be watching closely.

Tell us what you think of this private members bill.

BMA Cymru steps up calls for sunbeds to be regulated

BMA Cymru Wales is talking to young people at a school in Swansea today about the potential health risks of using sunbeds.

For at least five years now we have been calling on the UK Government to regulate sunbed use after research showed that some people are having more than 100 sunbed sessions in a single year.

Although the UK Government doesn’t recommend the use of sunbeds, there is currently no training or regulation associated with their use. The World Health Organisation has said that there is ‘an urgent need to reduce the health and environmental impact of increased ultra-violet exposure’ and has called for public education about this issue. And that is exactly what we are trying to do by organising for a consultant dermatologist and a skin cancer survivor to chat to school pupils about the dangers.

Recent cases like Kirsty’s just go to show how important it is that we have a public health campaign in Wales to highlight this.

A suntan is not a sign of good health; a tan, even when there is no burning, always means that the skin has been damaged. It’s ironic that people use sunbeds because they think they’ll look better and yet they will probably end up looking old prematurely and possibly even getting skin cancer. Just one session a month will double the average individual's annual dose of ultraviolet radiation.

Here are just some of the health risks that spring to mind when people use sunbeds:

• Developing certain types of skin cancer – the risks appear to be greatest for the young, with the chances of developing a tumour increasing by up to 20% per decade of sunbed use before the age of 56.
• Premature ageing – people tend to use sunbeds to look better but they could end up with leathery, wrinkled and sagging skin.
• The eyes (in particular the cornea) are very prone to damage from tanning equipment – it is recommended that sunbed users wear protective goggles, but research shows that people may not use them even if they are provided.
• The immune system – increasing evidence shows that sunbeds have an immunosuppressive effect.
BMA Cymru is urging government ministers again, to pass a bill that would compel local authorities to issue licences regulating cosmetic tanning salons.

The bill would require providers of cosmetic tanning facilities, or equipment, to obtain a licence to operate from the local authority. The licensing conditions would be set so that local authorities could:
• Prevent the use of sunbeds by children
• Protect adults from over-exposure
• Ensure that sunbed users are supervised
• End the use of coin-operated machines
• Ensure that sunbed sessions are monitored and limited
• Provide health risk information in sunbed parlours
• Inspect premises

The introduction of such a bill would hopefully mean adults can make informed choices about the risks of sunbed use. The conditions of licensing would require staff to be on premises, which would help to prevent over-exposure to ultraviolet light. It should also reduce the number of burns and accidents currently attributed to the misuse of unsupervised equipment and would drive up standards.

I wonder how many more unfortunate cases like Kirsty’s we will hear about, before any of the above actually happens?

Kirsty’s case highlights the need for better regulation of tanning salons

Another example in the media this week of where the hope of a golden glow’s turned into red raw skin and hospitalisation. Kirsty’s case provides a harsh and unfortunate lesson and sends a clear message that politicians need to take action to regulate the sun bed industry in Wales and across the UK.

BMA Cymru has campaigned on the regulation of sun beds for sometime now. We’ve called on the Welsh Assembly Government to introduce a new Measure on this issue and to make councils regulate cosmetic tanning salons. One of our recommendations has been to ban coin-operated and unmanned sun beds outright, exactly the sort of place where Kirsty was able to spend an incredible 19 minutes burning her skin.

It’s deeply concerning that children and young people can use these sun beds without supervision or guidance. What’s happened to Kirsty shows what short-term damage can be done to our skin from intense UV exposure – the long term damage is far worse. And children are especially vulnerable to UV rays, as exposure at this young age, dramatically increases the chances of developing skin cancer in adulthood.

I hear from BMA members who are seeing more and more young patients with skin cancer, particularly young women, who are frequent sun bed users.

By introducing a Welsh Law the Welsh Assembly Governments has a golden opportunity to steal a march on this issue, which will have a dramatic impact on skin cancer prevention efforts and reduce the number of patients who are seeking treatment for burns and accidents due to the misuse of unsupervised equipment.

Here’s what the BMA wants a Welsh Law to cover;
• Prevent the use of sun beds by children
• Protect adults from over-exposure
• Ensure that sun bed users are supervised
• End the use of coin-operated machines
• Ensure that sun bed sessions are monitored and limited
• Provide health risk information in sun bed parlours
• Inspect premises

My message is to avoid using a sun bed at all – if you want a tan and a healthy glow, fake it and get it out of a bottle, not a sun bed!

And I would like to wish Kirsty a full and complete recovery. If anything good has come out of this, it has raised this issue and given her the chance, first hand, to warn other young people of the dangers of sun beds and excessive exposure to UV light. Hopefully they will learn from Kirsty's frightening experience.

It would be great to know what you think about this issue, feel free to share your thoughts on my blog, click on the comment link underneath this post.