Call for a ‘total ban’ on sunbeds in Ireland as skin cancer concerns grow

The new coalition is 'urgently calling' for the Irish Government to introduce a 'blanket ban' on sunbeds.

Around 120,000 Irish people use the tanning devices.

The coalition is made up of the Irish Cancer Society, the Irish Skin Foundation, Melanoma Support Ireland, the Irish Association of Dermatologists, the Irish College of GPs, and many others.

According to the coalition, repeated use of the tanning machines can increase the risk of developing skin cancers such as melanoma. This risk increases by 75% if sunbeds are used before the age of 35.

The group also found that one in 20 children aged between 10 and 17 use sunbeds, despite laws prohibiting use for anyone under 18. Research has shown that repeated exposure to UV radiation at a young age can cause lasting damage to the skin.

According to the HSE, skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Ireland. More than 11,000 cases are diagnosed every year between melanoma and non-melanoma cancers.

The group said the number of people who will be diagnosed with melanoma is set to double by 2045.

Consultant Dermatologist in Tallaght University Hospital, Professor Anne-Marie Tobin, spoke on RTÉ's Morning Ireland to discuss the link between sunbeds and skin cancer.

"The WHO categorises sunbeds as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning their cancer risk is in the same category as tobacco and asbestos exposure. 5.4% of melanomas, the most serious and dangerous form of skin cancer, are directly linked to sunbed use."

The professor added that "over 70 people are diagnosed with melanoma in Ireland each year due to sunbeds."

Coalition Against Sunbeds claims that this number is set to double in the next 20 years.

Patient advocate with Melanoma Support Ireland, Gill Costelloe, used sunbeds when she was younger, and is now living with stage 4 melanoma.

Speaking to RTÉ, Gill said that her cancer was "caught early" after she had a mole surgically removed, "but five years later, it came back without any warning and spread right through [her] body".

"Thankfully, I'm doing a lot better four years on, but I will now be on cancer treatment for the rest of my life. Someday that treatment may stop working, and I have to live with that at the back of my mind every single day," she continued.

"I fully support the Coalition Against Sunbeds because we know what damage sunbeds do".

However, the Sunbed Association, an organisation that represents sunbed and tanning salon operators across Ireland and the UK, does not approve of a full blanket ban. They believe that a ban will just move the industry into people's homes with "zero supervision and zero enforcement".