Solarium tan risks due to lack of education

Tanning beds solarium tanning: risks due to lack of education, old equipment and exceeding the limit

The German supervisory authorities for tanning salons and nine other EU countries have, on behalf of the EU Commission over a period of one year about 500 solarium benches in 300 places reviewed and found frightening.

The Brussels Commission announced its alarming results last Friday. They found that one in seven sunbeds exceeds the set limits for UV radiation, which can be hazardous to health. Furthermore, often solarium users should not be sufficiently informed about possible risks, e.g. by sticking notes on the equipment, and minors are not adequately controlled. Since the summer of 2009, it has been prohibited in Germany for young people under the age of 18 to visit a solarium. Also devices should be outdated and goggles partly missing.

EU consumer commissioner Malteser John Dalli warned for the future to eradicate the abuses as skin cancer „every 15 to 20 years“ will double. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 140,000 people suffer from skin cancer each year in Germany alone. Of these, some 20,000 people have the vicious and very aggressive form of „malignant melanoma“. About 3000 Germans are supposed to die from it every year.

Representatives of the solarium industry complain about a lack of uniform legal regulations and certifications and control for compliance. John Dalli emphasized that one now wants to talk to the industry and to do more education, especially among young people.

Representatives of Naturopathy advocate the very selective use of a solarium in the dark season as a mood lightener or preparation of the skin for a stay in sunny areas. Users can take care to wear protective goggles, to check test instructions on the equipment and to choose an individual tanning bed and tanning time adapted to the respective skin type. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 13.02.2010)