Sunbed use in many Welsh salons falling short of safety guidelines; Environmental health experts to call for tighter regulation

0 Comments | Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), Feb 25, 2009

Byline: Madeleine Brindley Health Editor

NO STAFF are on hand at two-thirds of sunbed salons in parts of South Wales, a shocking study has found.

The research revealed that staff are often not present to give users vital tanning advice in so-called manned salons.

The study also found that sunbed users could be exposing their skin to higher doses of UV radiation as it emerged some machines do not comply with guidelines.

Environmental health experts will today call for tighter regulation of the industry, including licensing salons.

The research found that UV type-two beds are being used in unmanned salons - the British Standard, which is not legally enforceable, states that these beds should be used under the supervision of "appropriately" trained staff.

Environmental health student Jenna Cloke also found that more than half of the 24 salons visited in the Vale of Glamorgan and Merthyr Tydfil would allow people to spend more than 12 minutes on a sunbed.

Some did not even know the maximum time limit allowed.

Some 65 sunbeds - both manned and unmanned - were tested by Miss Cloke as part of her dissertation for a BSc Honours in Environmental Health.

The research, which will be presented at a Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Wales conference today, is published a week after a 14-year-old suffered 70% first degree burns from using an unmanned salon.

Kirsty McRae, who lives in Barry, had spent 19 minutes on a sunbed at the unmanned Lextan salon in the town. She was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff overnight because of her injuries.

Miss Cloke said: "The research was intended to mirror that done in Scotland - their results were more conclusive, but ours still showed that there are beds in operation that are not necessarily compliant with the British Standard.

"What you really need when you go to a sunbed salon is someone who can assess your skin type properly and put together a course of sessions for you.

"I also noticed that a lot of people using sunbeds don't realise that a tan has to be built up gradually and doesn't come after a 12-minute session.

"Only a trained member of staff can make that recommendation.

"One member of staff I spoke to told me she had been verbally abused by someone saying they were not red enough after a nine-minute session on a sunbed."

The research, which comes after the Vale of Glamorgan Council launched an investigation into the Kirsty McRae incident, will fuel the calls for a ban on unmanned tanning salons.

Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh secretary of the British Medical Association, said: "By introducing a Welsh law the Welsh Assembly Government has a golden opportunity to steal a march on this issue, which will have a dramatic impact on skin cancer prevention efforts and reduce the number of patients who are seeking treatment for burns and accidents due to the misuse of unsupervised equipment."

The BMA wants a Welsh law to prevent children using sun beds; end the use of coin-operated machines, inspect premises and ensure that sunbed sessions are monitored and limited.

Dr Lewis added: "My message is to avoid using a sunbed at all - if you want a tan and a healthy glow, fake it and get it out of a bottle, not a sunbed."

Julie Barratt, director of the CIEH in Wales, said: "The research highlights both the lack of control exhibited by operators over their facilities and the worrying lack of knowledge that they have both about the equipment and its use.

"It is clear both from the research and from the incident that occurred in South Wales last week involving a 14-year-old, that unmanned facilities cannot be properly controlled and hence we say they should be banned.

"Where such sites exist, they must be properly regulated."

CAPTION(S):

OVER EXPOSURE: Some sunbed users are being allowed to spend more than 12 minutes on a sunbed. Below, Kirsty McRae from Barry, who suffered 70% first-degree burns