Sunbed safety in summer spotlight
Published Tuesday 3rd August 10
Throughout August environmental health officers from Wellingborough Council will be visiting UV tanning premises to ensure health and safety requirements are in place.
The World Health Organisation considers long-term harm from sunbeds to be as dangerous as cigarettes.
The number of injuries to sunbed users is on the increase, so the county-wide safety initiative has been put in place throughout Northamptonshire to respond to the growing need for stricter controls on often poorly-managed tanning premises. Short term effects of UV exposure can include burns, dry itchy skin and irritation, while long-term use can lead to skin cancer, cataracts and premature ageing of the skin.
Amanda Wilcox, health protection manger at Wellingborough Council said:
"UV tanning and sunbed use are increasingly linked to skin cancer and serious burns in poorly-managed salons. It is crucial that we protect the safety of sunbed users by making sure the premises are effectively managed."
Wellingborough councillor Cllr Barry Graves, who has responsibility for healthy communities added:
"Public safety is of the utmost importance and we need to highlight the dangers associated with sunbed use to the public and tanning premises in our county. If we find that any premises are unsafe they will face formal enforcement action."
Research in the British Medical Journal shows that more than 250,000 children aged 11-17 are thought to use sunbeds in England. The new Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, due to come into force in April next year, will make it illegal for any person under the age of 18 to use a commercial sunbed.