Dartford MP, Dr Howard Stoate has given his backing to a new private member’s bill to protect children from sunbeds.

Teenagers who use sunbeds are at greater risk of developing skin cancer than mature adults and Cancer Research UK wants England to follow the lead set by Scotland and ban the use of sunbeds by the under 18s. Over a quarter of a million children aged 11-17 in the UK have used sunbeds. A recent survey carried out by Cancer Research in Liverpool and Sunderland found that half of all 11-17 year old girls have used a sunbed.

The Sunbeds (Regulation) Bill, which has its Second Reading on 29 January, would make it illegal for sunbed salon operators and other personnel responsible for sunbeds to allow under 18s to use sunbeds. The Bill also grants power to make further provisions in regulations for sunbed use to be supervised, for health information to be made available in all sunbed salons, and for operators to be prohibited from promoting the unsupported benefits of sunbed use.

Dr Stoate was among dozens of MPs to pledge their support for the bill at a Cancer Research UK event on skin cancer and sunbed use among the under 18s in Parliament last week.

Speaking at last week’s event Dr Stoate said; “Sunbed use by young people is undoubtedly contributing to the growing incidence of skin cancer among young people. A ban on sunbed use among the under 18s is long overdue and I will be giving my full support to this bill.”

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s Chief Eecutive, said: “In Scotland under 18s are now banned from using sunbeds. But this is not the case in England and Wales. Cancer Research UK is deeply concerned about how easy it is for a very large number of youngsters, particularly girls, to use sunbeds and there is strong evidence linking sunbed use with skin cancer .

Notes

The independent Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) report recommended that the Government take strong action to protect young people from the dangers of using sunbeds.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has re-classified sunbeds into its highest cancer risk category, putting it alongside tobacco.

We know that protecting children from sunbeds could be very popular: 87 per cent of the UK public believe that under 18 year olds should not use sunbeds, rising to 90 per cent who support sunbed salons being staffed.

Both the World Health Organisation and the European Union believe that under 18s should not use sunbeds.