UV radiation from sunbeds can cause serious burns
Rob Hall is an Environmental Health Officer for Bury Council in Greater Manchester, with more than 10 years’ experience.
The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 – introduced after lengthy parliamentary debate and campaigning - makes it illegal for businesses to allow anyone under 18 to use sunbeds on their premises.
The laws were introduced because sunbeds dramatically increase the risk of skin cancer – including melanoma, the most serious form.
And the legislation is there to protect young people – who are most at risk – from forming a habit which can be dangerous in other ways too, as we’ll see below.
But the responsibility for making sure businesses toe the line lies with Environmental Health Officers like me, in each local authority. And earlier this year I secured the very first criminal conviction under the Act.
The story began in May 2012, when I received a complaint that a 15 year old girl had suffered burns all over her body after using a sunbed in a private gym.
She was hospitalised for 24 hours, placed on a drip and – due to the severity of her burns – was off school for 15 days.
We don’t yet know whether she’s experiencing any long-term physical or mental effects. But we do know she’s said it was the first and last time she would ever use a sunbed.
