The government should “crack down” on tanning beds “immediately” for “health and safety” reasons, a Fianna Fáil TD has said.
This week Cork South West Christopher O’Sullivan called for an “outright ban” on tanning beds, citing what he called “significant health risks” from the products.
“The evidence is overwhelming: UV exposure from sunbeds is a major health hazard, contributing to skin cancer and other serious conditions,” he said.
“We cannot afford to ignore the science any longer – tanning beds must be banned outright.”
He added: “Australia took the step in 2016 to ban commercial banning beds, and it is long past time we followed suit.”
In a statement, Sullivan claimed that according to research, “almost half of those surveyed have used sunbeds despite knowing the risks to their skin.”
“These trends are contributing to skin cancer being the most common cancer in Ireland, with over 11,000 cases diagnosed annually,” he said.
“The call for a ban also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014. Despite this legislation, the use of unregulated tanning products and misleading social media advertising continues to pose a significant threats to public health.”
O’Sullivan said that the government must “prioritise health and safety,” and called to address the “rampant advertising of harmful, unregulated tanning products on social media platforms.”
“It is unacceptable that dangerous products are being marketed to young people online,” he said.
“We need to double down on enforcing regulations and shutting down these illegal activities.
“Banning sunbeds and cracking down on sham tanning products are critical steps to prevent further harm.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris responding by saying that he agreed with Deputy O’Sullivan about the dangers of sunbeds.
“Deputy O’Sullivan raised skin cancer and the danger of sun beds; I agree,” he said.
“It is a statement of fact that they are dangerous. The evidence on skin cancer is pretty categoric.
“Going back to my memory from my time as Minister for Health, measures were taken relating to banning them for children and so on but that is nowhere near adequate in terms of where we need to get to. I will seek the view of the Minister for Health whose policy responsibility it is but I am certainly in support of taking more action here on advancing our national cancer strategy’s objectives and keeping our population healthy from a cancer perspective.”