The World Health Organization announced today that sunbeds and sunlamps should be banned for anyone under the age of 18 and avoided by all other people, because use of those devices has been linked to skin cancer. The WHO specifically fears for Europeans who are known for using the devices frequently. ABC News reports:
“We don’t want to see an epidemic of skin cancers coming along some 10 years down the road,” Michael Repacholi, coordinator of WHO’s radiation and health program, said. “We recommend that you don’t use sunbeds. If you want to, there are a set of rules that we have identified that you should adhere to,” he said, adding people ought be supervised and use goggles to protect their eyes.
Recent studies have shown a direct link between ultraviolet radiation emitted by sunbeds and sunlamps and skin cancers, prompting the WHO to call for stricter controls on their use. Some 25 percent of sunbed users in northern Europe are aged between 16 and 24, making them the target audience for the warning, Repacholi told Reuters. Regular sunbed use may cause disfigurement from removal of skin cancers and early death if the cancer is a malignant melanoma, the U.N. agency said, adding it would also add substantial costs to national health systems.
They think they are going to be protecting themselves by getting a tan before they go so they don’t get sunburned when they get there. This is basically a myth, it doesn’t provide adequate protection at all,” Repacholi said.
One in three cancers worldwide is skin-related, mostly due to over-exposure to natural radiation from the sun, according to the WHO. There are 132,000 cases of malignant melanoma worldwide each year and more than 2 million cases of other skin cancers.
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