The NSW Government needs to act and put a ban in place right away!!
122 businesses that offer UV tanning services in NSW is 122 too many!
The business type break down as follows:
Solaria only 27
Gyms/fitness centres 35
Beauticians/Hairdressers 54
Other mixed business 6
As you can see, majority of operators have other alternatives. Lets compensate business type solaria only and close this industry down for good!! because the most important thing of all, it will save many lives - we do not want no more suffering!
Dangers of Solariums
Solariums are enclosed sun beds built with light tubes that release radiation from above and below your body. Solariums release UVA and UVB radiation.
Are solariums safe?
A solarium tan is not a safe tan. Solariums are not a safe way to tan and can result in serious damage to your skin. Just like the sun, solariums emit UVA and UVB radiation, which can damage skin and cause skin cancer. UV radiation from solariums can be just as intense, if not more so, than natural light.
Solariums that advertise ‘mini' or ‘high performance' tans that colour your skin in less than 10 minutes do this by exposing you to high levels of UV radiation. You are not reducing your risk of skin cancer by being in the solarium for a shorter period of time.
THE FACTS:
- 281 melanoma cases linked to solarium use each year.
- 43 melanoma related deaths linked to solarium use each year.
- 2,572 new cases of squamous cell carcinoma linked to solarium use each year.
- Solariums emit ultraviolet radiation up to five times stronger than the sun.
- Solariums emit UVA and UVB radiation, both known causes of skin cancer.
- 87 of 89 solariums audited since September 2009 failed to meet new standards
IMPORTANT CLINICAL DATA REPORTS
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UV Melanoma Review Information sheet |
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SUNBED RISK Information sheet |
NSW Government enforce stricter solarium regulations
Under new regulations, enforceable from 1 January 2009, NSW solariums will be banned from admitting very fair skinned people and under-18s; the frequency of visits will also be limited.
Watch the TV AD from Anti-Solarium campaigner Clare Oliver who lost her fight with melanoma.
Watch the touching 60 Minutes story on the last days of Clare Oliver. Discover other users of solariums who have been diagnosed with melanoma.
Professor Simon Chapman
Recent studies have found individuals who have used solaria have a 22% increased risk of developing melanoma compared with those who have never used solaria. The risk is elevated by 98% among people who first used solaria under the age of 35 years.
Following publicity over the death from melanoma of Clare Oliver in 2007, Australian governments introduced state-based regulations to change compliance with the Australian Standard, AS/NZS 2635:2008 Solaria for cosmetic purposes from voluntary to mandatory. Studies undertaken in 2003 and 2006 indicated that industry compliance with the previous voluntary standard was low.
Two audits of all solaria in metropolitan Sydney conducted in 2009 and again in 2010 found 87/89 (98% in 2009) establishments were non-compliant with the regulations with 41/73 (42%) being non-compliant at the follow-up survey. No data are available on non-metropolitan compliance or from other states.
See: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/radiation/09814solicarus.pdf and http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/radiation/10310solaurora.pdf
This data demonstrates that the solaria industry has many operators who daily disregard the law, despite repeated publicity and warnings.
Clare Oliver's dying wish is being violated daily by this travesty. In 2006, 1o238 Australians were diagnosed with melanoma - 3870 were under 60, and 2044 were under 40. In all, 1238 died, 335 aged under 60. Solaria expose people to turbocharged UV doses that have no place in any community that takes cancer prevention seriously.
The solaria industry is a tiny industry where its operators have other alternatives, such as spray tans. It is time the curtain fell on this deadly industry.
BA (Hons) (UNSW), PhD (USyd), FASSA
Professor Public Health
Director of Research
Associate Dean Communications
The NSW Government has introduced mandatory safety requirements for commercial tanning units, including new age and skin type restrictions.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt, said the provisions would be contained in the new Radiation Control Amendment (Tanning Units) Regulation.
“This new regulation is part of a national approach to addressing community concerns about health risks associated with exposure to ultraviolet radiation from tanning units,” Ms Tebbutt said.
“Industry self-regulation was not working. Late last year we exhibited a draft regulation for public comment and as a result of the feedback we have strengthened the provisions.
“Younger skin in particular is more sensitive and that’s why we are introducing a minimum age for people to use these machines.
“People who are under 18 years old or have fair skin will no longer be able to use tanning beds, and people who are still eligible to use them will receive more accurate information about health risks and the operation of the units will be supervised.
“The use of solariums can pose a considerable health risk and this is an issue we take seriously.”
The new regulation will impose a range of safety requirements on how tanning units are used, including:
• a requirement that clients be 18 years or over and not have fair skin;
• appropriate training by operators;
• assessment of skin type conducted by a trained operator;
• the use of written consent forms;
• restrictions on the amount of UV radiation exposure individuals are to receive in any one session;
• restrictions on the frequency of exposure (not within 48 hours of a previous session);
• the supervision of sessions by a trained operator;
• the display of warning notices;
• the keeping of records (signed consent forms, maintenance and servicing of tanning units, the sale/transfer of tanning units, training undertaken by operators, skin assessments undertaken and details of tanning sessions);
• no representations or claims about non-cosmetic health benefits from use of a tanning unit or that that use of a tanning unit is safe from risk; and
• no representations or claims that tanning sessions can be provided more often or at a higher dosage than allowed under the regulation.
Businesses wishing to provide solarium services will be required to register up-to-date information, including the name, location and contact details of the business and number and type of tanning units used, with the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer) Jodi McKay said solarium use was not a safer alternative to sun tanning. There is no such thing as a safe tan.
“Solariums emit ultraviolet radiation up to five times stronger than the sun and there is clear evidence of the link between solariums and skin cancer,” Ms McKay said.
“These tough new mandatory safety requirements will help protect those most vulnerable, young people and people with fair skin, from excessive exposure to UV rays and ensure a better understanding of the associated health risks .”
Ms McKay said tanning was frequently perceived by the public as less deadly than it actually is and this misconception can translate into complacency and dangerous tanning behaviour.
“Melanoma is responsible for 30 per cent of all cancers in young people aged 15-30 in NSW, but it’s entirely preventable,” she said.
Details of the Amendment Regulation will be placed on the DECC’s website with a link to the NSW Health and The Cancer Institute websites.
While the Regulations are a step in the right direction Jay Allen still feels that the only way to stop these killing machines is to ban them!
This was at Parliament House Sydney at Press Conference. Jay pictured here with Greens MP Lee Rhiannon ( right ) March 2010.
