Dangers of the Tanning Industry

Posted on | November 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Dangers of the Tanning Industry

A new twist in Europe

Here is a comment from a viewer in the United Kingdom in response to our Health Politics program on the dangers of tanning salons:

"A good article. But you don’t mention the horrendous situation in some British cities. Tanning facilities have been set up in premises with coin in the slot payment and no person present to advise or limit the amount of exposure.

Regards,

John P. Paul"

John, thanks for alerting us to the situation in the UK. I had no idea of the extent of the problem, with rapid expansion (often in shopping malls) of these unregulated, coin-operated, and many times unsupervised sites accessible to children and teens. Below are two listings which draw into stark relief the conflict over tanning in England. Thank you for participating in Health Commentary!

On the positive side, listing #1: The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) has urged support of a bill tightly regulating unsupervised sunbed operations.

It conducted a survey of almost 800 sunbed premises in Scotland in 2003 which found that more than 50 were unsupervised and many had no control over the age of customers.

Quote:
"It is increasingly clear that a voluntary regulation scheme is ineffective."

Ken Macintosh, MSP

On the negative side, listing #2: Workers are being recruited aggressively in advertisements for tanning industry jobs in England:

"Career Opportunities…Looking for the next step?

We’re expanding at an extraordinary rate and we’re always on the look out for talented, enthusiastic people who are already working in the Beauty industry or would like to.

If you would like to join a forward thinking, customer focused, successful company — please send CV’s and covering letter to: Personnel Dept, FAKE BAKE UK LTD, 4/10 Napier Court, Wardpark Industrial Estate, CUMBERNAULD, LANARKS, G68 0LL or alternatively, email [email protected]"

If you are a Health Commentary viewer and have an opinion on the tanning industry, let us know how you feel. Post a comment here.

Mike Magee