UK government may ban sunbed use for those under 18

Tuesday December 22, 2009

A recent article in the UK’s Daily Express reports that “sunbeds will be banned for under-18s following a last-minute Government U-turn”.  The article states that Health Minister Gillian Merron acknowledged that “tanning salons had failed to stop children from using the beds” and that she had “finally admitted that laws are needed to protect them from skin cancer”.  

According to the Daily Express, the Health Minister had supported a Private Member’s Bill calling for the ban.  However, should that bill fail, she said that “the Government is keen to act by introducing a ban on the use of sunbeds for under-18s”.

The report refers to research from Cancer Research UK showing that “a quarter of a million children use sunbeds, many using them weekly”.  “The charity estimates that 100 people a year die from using sunbeds because the high exposure to UV rays triggers melanoma.”

Source: 
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/146514/New-law-that-will-ban-under-18s-using-sunbeds