Solarium UV six times stronger than the sun

New research shows solarium users are being exposed to UV levels up to six times the strength of the midday sun and solarium operators are unaware of the excessive levels of UV radiation their customers are being exposed to.

The research was conducted by Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), which measured UV emissions from solariums in Victoria and NSW.

Cancer Council Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said the results added weight to existing evidence that solariums should be more tightly regulated.

“Australians are putting their lives at risk when using a solarium,” Professor Olver said. “Each year 1,850 Australians die of skin cancer and solariums make a mockery of our efforts to reduce skin cancer.

“Currently there are inconsistencies in how solariums are regulated in each state and territory. We need to ensure all governments act to protect people from the known harms and to take all measures to tighten and introduce new regulations in line with any new evidence, and to enforce the regulations already in place. At this stage I am not confident that this is happening.”

Professor Olver said restrictions like bans on under 18s were a sensible measure, however if governments ultimately decided to phase solariums out, “public health would be the winner.”

ARPANSA Senior Research Scientist, Dr Peter Gies, said the research showed large variability in UV outputs from tanning beds, making it difficult for operators to predict the effects of each session and creating the potential for overexposure.

“The dose of UV delivered varied significantly for sunbeds of similar power – in one establishment three of the eight-minute sunbeds recorded UV index ranges of 31.3, 40.7 and 48.6, while the 10-minute sunbed measured 20.6,” he said. “Three tanning units emitted levels above the Australian Standard’s allowed maximum UV index of 36.”

Dr Gies said it was difficult for consumers or operators to test how intense a sunbed was, which was of concern, considering 10 minutes of exposure could lead to severe sunburn, depending on which bed they used. “There were also considerable differences in the UV intensity levels emitted from the top and bottom of some sunbeds – up to as much as 40 per cent,” Dr Gies said.

(Source: SunSmart Victoria: Photochemistry and Photobiology)

More information

For more information on skin cancer including common types of skin cancers, and its treatment and preventative measures, as well as some useful videos, see Skin Cancer.