The Sunbed Association is calling on the Government not to impose a ban on regulated sunbeds, as they believe it will lead to unregulated and unsafe conditions.

The Association represents regulated sunbed business owners across Ireland.

The Minister of State for Public Health, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor has said that no level of sunbed use is safe, a statement backed up by the Chief Medical Officer.

However, the Sunbed Association is imploring the Government not to impose the ban.

Chair of the Association Gary Lipman told The Pat Kenny Show that he does not agree with the findings of the report which informed the Minister and Chief Medical Officer’s opinion.

“We have submitted a 58-page rebuttal for some of the misinformation that’s in the report,” he said.

“They’re looking at scientific evidence from 20 to 25 years ago.

“It’s very important that to those who say we need to ban sunbeds, we say to the HSE, work in harmony with us to implement existing regulations, as happens across Europe.”

Beautiful young woman on sunbed

Mr Lipman said the Sunbed Association has asked the Government to impose a number of regulations.

“Across Europe, it states that the output of a sunbed is the same, for example, as the sunshine on a Mediterranean beach,” he said.

“We’ve asked the Government to implement that; in fact, we advised them back in 2015, work with us as we do in other countries.”

Evidence

According to Mr Lipman, there is “empirical evidence” from countries such as Australia showing that bans on sunbeds are not only ineffective, but harmful.

“For example, [in] Australia, where a commercial ban was implemented, people started using sunbeds at home where there’s no regulations,” he said.

“Look, when a member of the public comes into a tanning salon in membership of the association, the staff there would have been trained.

“They would speak to the client, check their skin to make sure that they can tan, we would provide protective eyewear, we would also check for age and give the correct information.”

Mr Lipman said that Association members’ staff would also enforce session lengths that would be in line with what they say is the correct, up-to-date medical advice.

Main image: An employee in a beauty institute poses with the solarium. Image: Idealink Photography. 6 May 2010