Under-18s to be banned from sunbeds
Four years after promising a crackdown, Ms Harney said she would seek Government approval later this month to introduce legislation to regulate the use of sunbeds, which would also outlaw unsupervised services.
The commitment by the minister comes as new research revealed almost 140,000 people are regular users.
The Irish Cancer Society has been advocating for public health legislation banning sunbed usage by anyone under 18 since 2006. It launched its own private members bill yesterday in a bid to speed up the regulation of the industry.
Research by the society found 4% of people aged over 15 use sunbeds, compared to 9% in 2003.
The survey, conducted during April and May, found eight out of 10 support a ban on sunbeds – 43% would support a complete ban while 37% were in favour of banning sunbed usage by people under the age of 16.
The society’s head of advocacy, Kathleen O’Meara, said the delay in regulating the sector had been frustrating. She said the bills were very similar and their core principles were exactly the same.
“We do not see this as controversial legislation that will divide political groups in Leinster House. There is considerable consensus around this initiative. All that needs to happen is for the minister to move on it,” she said.
Ms Harney said her bill will include the following measures:
* Ban on the use of sunbeds by under-18s.
* Ban on the sale or hire of sunbeds to anyone under 18.
* Ban the use of sunbeds in an unsupervised premises.
* The placing of warning signs in sunbed premises.
* The placing of warning labels on sunbeds.
* Introduce enforcement penalties for non-compliance.
* Allow exemptions for sunbed use for medical purposes.
Ms Harney said sunbed use had been reclassified as group one carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancers, placing it in the same category as environmental tobacco smoke and further highlighting the need for robust legislation in this area.
Ms O’Meara said research published a year ago by the agency found a 75% increase in the risk of melanoma when people began tanning regularly under the age of 30. She pointed out that latest data from the National Cancer registry showed in 2008, 752 new cases of melanoma were recorded.
