Do solariums cause skin cancer? BYAnne Barlowfreelance The dangers of sun beds are unknown, yet solariums are still allowed to operate. In 2007, 26-year-old Clare Olivers life ebbed away under the full glare of the public spotlight. She used her final days to campaign against the sun beds she believed contributed to her deadly melanoma. Sitting cross-legged on her hospital bed with a tube in her nose, she said: If I could go back and talk to myself when I was 19, I would tell that girl not to use a solarium ... that melanoma is not a small cancer that you just have cut out and you will be fine. Three weeks later, Oliver was dead. The message about the danger of sun beds may finally be getting through. Audits compiled from Yellow Pages listings showed the number of solariums in Australian capital cities exploded from 84 to 406 in the bronze-crazed years from 1996 to 2006. But by the end of last year, the total had dropped 32 per cent to 278. The biggest drops were in Melbourne, which halved its number of salons, followed by Hobart, Adelaide and Perth. Melanoma survivor Samantha Sneddon, 34, has witnessed the decline of sun beds in her home town of Newcastle, NSW. When I went to solariums when I was younger they were everywhere, she says. But these days there are so many good spray tans, I think the [sun bed] industry is dying its own slow death. Since Clare Olivers death, tighter regulations have been introduced to prevent fair-skinned people and under-18s from frying themselves in unrestricted tanning bed sessions. But the regulations are being rolled out at different rates, with Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia leading the way in 2008. NSW and Tasmania followed suit last year, while Queensland and the ACTs regulations are due to come into force this year. As well as bans on vulnerable groups, under the new rules sun bed users must sign a consent form confirming they understand the risks and operators must be trained in how to meet the new requirements, including skin assessments. Professor Ian Olver, CEO of the Cancer Council of Australia, says: This legislation will help reduce the incidence of melanoma, given UV radiation exposure in the first 18 years of life is important in determining lifelong skin cancer risk, and people with fair skin are at higher risk. The relevance of age was highlighted by a landmark study published in August. The Australian Melanoma Family Study found young people who used sun beds were 41 per cent more likely to develop melanoma than those who didnt. This rose to twice as likely if they started before the age of 20 or reported more than 10 sessions. The University of Melbournes Dr Anne Cust, who helped in the research, warns: Seventy-five per cent of all melanomas in sun bed users [aged 18 to 29] were estimated to have been caused by the use of sun beds. One of the reasons some people remain loyal to solariums is the belief that they provide a safer or more controlled tan than baking under the sun. But this is a total myth, Professor Olver says. Solariums may emit UV up to five times as strong as the midday summer sun, so they are very dangerous, he says. Furthermore, that healthy golden glow is likely to have the opposite effect on our looks in the long-term. UV in high doses also causes non-melanoma skin cancer, premature skin ageing, cataracts and other eye conditions, and [it] suppresses the immune system, Professor Olver says. The World Health Organisation officially upgraded solariums to the highest risk category carcinogenic to humans last year. A comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that the risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75 per cent when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age, its International Agency for Research on Cancer reported. Along with the fact that we live in a country with the worlds highest incidence of skin cancer, this begs the question: do we really need sun beds? For Dr Cust its a no-brainer. I would support a ban as there is considerable scientific evidence that using solariums increases your risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, she says. Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney, has dubbed sun beds cancer incubators and says the industry should be squashed. But governments are reluctant to take drastic action, which would upset industry and cause job losses. At the launch of the Solariums - Fashion to Die For campaign, Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews explained the new regulations were designed to allow people to make an informed decision about using solariums, rather than eliminating the entire industry. Sydneysider Jay Allen, who was diagnosed with a melanoma three years ago after using sun beds, is leading the campaign sunbedban. He doesnt believe solarium operators are complying with the new standards. It is time the curtain fell on this deadly industry, he says. His concerns about non-compliance may be well founded. An audit of NSW solariums conducted last year found 87 out of 89 operators were flouting the new standards. Following a state government crackdown, a follow-up audit earlier this year revealed 38 per cent were still ignoring the rules. In response, the Greens put forward a motion that would have made NSW one of the first jurisdictions in the world to outlaw sun beds, but it was defeated in Parliament. From a users perspective, theres also a sense of invincibility in the young. Sydney fashion designer Amanda Arcuri, 23, who was diagnosed with a melanoma on her upper thigh last year, is a classic example. I never thought I would have been told I had a form of cancer at age 22, she says. When youre young, you are trying to find yourself and you look at the people you idolise, like celebrities and models, and you want to look just like they do. Arcuri, who had a wide incision to cut out her cancerous mole and surrounding area, was told by her specialist that a major cause of her melanoma would have been solarium usage. That was devastating to hear; I was not aware at the time I was using them just how bad they are, she says. Its a familiar story. Allen, now 35, says he was also unaware of the dangers. He is pursuing legal action against the gym chain where he used sun beds. If the minimum age limit was put up to 35, the sun bed industry would just wither away, he says. That may not be necessary. Samantha Sneddon, who works with young people, says solariums have lost their cool factor. I dont know anyone who uses them now, whereas when I was younger, there were lots, she says. If this trend continues, sun beds may soon end up rusty relics in Australian landfills. In years to come, people are going to look back at these solariums and think we were crazy, Allen says. Never a day goes by when I dont think about my melanoma. Im living with a deadly disease that may pop up at any time. For others, like Clare Oliver, it is too late.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 23:01:26 +0000
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