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22nd July 2024
02:54pm BST
Micheál Martin said he would ‘very clearly’ back a move to make using tanning beds against the law.
Speaking on his trip to Ethiopia, he said the fact that there is a proven link between sunbeds and cancer is enough evidence to put a ban in place.
"They are carcinogenic and I faced this fundamental, moral question when we did the smoking ban many years ago," he said on the issue.
"When the report came back and said passive smoking was a carcinogen, causes cancer, then the action had to be very clear in response.
"It's similar to asbestos. If the evidence is very strong - and the evidence is very strong around sunbeds and cancer - then the action is clear.
"The action has to be banning that... I would support a ban very clearly".
The Tánaiste is one of several TDs who are calling for action to protect people against the negative effects of sunbeds.
Another alarming stat that has come to light is that despite these dangers being very well-documented, there has been an increase in the number of people using them.
That’s according to a recent study by University College Cork (UCC), which found that one-in-10 people used a sunbed at least eight times during 2020.
Prior to this research, an IPSOS MRBI poll commissioned by the Irish Cancer Society, showed that 150,000 Irish people had used a sunbed in 2017, with 36,000 of them using a sunbed once a week.
Dermatologists are also very much in favour of action being taken in Ireland to make them less accessible to the public.
Consultant Dermatologist at the Institute of Dermatologists, Professor Caitriona Ryan spoke to Newstalk Breakfast and said a ban would be "fantastic".
"I think every dermatologist in the country if not the world would be delighted with that [ban]," she said.
"Unfortunately recently I've been seeing a trend of people using sunbeds again.
"I thought they had become a thing of that past but they're becoming very popular again in our younger populations, including in men".
She went on to say that many people are unaware of the fact that there are increased risks.
Sunbeds are "15-times stronger" than UV radiation coming from the midday sun.
"One study even showed that using tanning beds before the age of 35 increases your melanoma risk by 75%," Catriona Ryan said.
"It's something that is so easy for people to do. I think we'd all love to see them gone," she went on to say.
"I suppose the smoking ban is a great example - lots of people stopped smoking at that point.
"When things aren't readily available to people then it becomes a hassle.
"Tanning's an addiction for others, though; they've shown people can be addicted to tanning beds.
"They release endorphins and people feel the need for that hit, especially people who have got a more addictive personality".
However, Prof. Ryan then said there would be a fear that the industry would simply move underground if it was made illegal.
"People are going to argue having their own autonomy - free choice - they know it's dangerous, they can choose to do it," she said.
"I remember growing up having pals who had a sunbed in their house.
"Certainly, there's communities that will share a sunbed and if this becomes a black market thing... it means some people will use them in a really reckless way."
Prof Ryan added that "reputable" tanning clinics are very strict with time limits and other rules.
