Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill. The Irish Cancer Society has welcomed the Bill but it also expressed concerns to the effect that it does not go far enough. Under the Bill, the operators of sunbed premises will be prohibited from allowing anyone under 18 years of age to use their facilities. The use of sunbeds on unsupervised premises will also be prohibited. In addition, operators will be required to make users fully aware of the risks involved and all sunbed operators will be obliged to put in place warning signs on their premises. As already stated, however, the Irish Cancer Society is concerned that the Bill does not go far enough and does not prohibit, as is the case in other countries, particularly parts of Australia, people with type 1 and type 2 skin - the fairest types - from using sunbeds.

Skin cancer is the most common cause of cancer in Ireland. Some 9,450 Irish people were diagnosed with skin cancer in 2010 and, of these, 896 cases were melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. A total 158 people died as a result of skin cancer in 2011. The incidence of melanoma in Ireland increased by 137% in Ireland from 1994 to 2010. Nine out of ten cases of skin cancer are caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays, from both the sun and sunbeds. Skin cancers can be prevented. Reducing exposure to ultraviolet rays in turn reduces the risk of developing cancer. There is clear evidence of a link between sunbeds and skin cancer. Sunbeds were placed in the highest cancer risk category by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2009, which rates them as being as carcinogenic as tobacco and plutonium. Sunbeds have been linked to a variety of adverse health conditions including eye damage, photodermatosis, photosensitivity, premature skin aging and skin cancer.

The incidence of cancer is increasing worldwide and the number of melanoma cases in Ireland has increased by over 66% in the past ten years. According to the most recent data available, there were 8,145 new cases of skin cases in 2009.women Young people are particularly at risk of melanoma as there is a 75% increased risk of developing melanoma when sunbed use begins before the age of 30. Sunbed use among young people is a big problem in Ireland. Research conducted by the Society found that approximately 28,000 young people under the age of 25 are using sunbeds in Ireland each year. Two thirds of sunbed users began using sunbeds when they were under 25. The incidence of all types of cancer increased dramatically - by almost 75% - between 1997 and 2007. Research commissioned by the Irish Cancer Society and published in June 2010 shows that 140,000 people in Ireland use sunbeds on a regular basis, that 88% of those who use sunbeds are women and that 20% of the latter are between the ages of 15 and 24. Sunbed use is increasing and tanning devices are more powerful than was the case a decade ago. Research published in 2009 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer indicated that there is a 75% increase in the risk of contracting melanoma among people who begin tanning regularly before the age of 30.

Any individual can set up a tanning salon and there are no regulatory restrictions on the type of equipment that can be purchased. Young people are particularly at risk when they use sunbeds because, as already stated, there is a 75% increase in the risk of contracting malignant melanoma - the most serious form of skin cancer - among those who begin tanning regularly before they reach 30. Both the Irish Cancer Society and the World Health Organisation advise that those under 18 years of age should not use sunbeds because of the increased risk they run of developing skin cancer. However, this message does not appear to be getting through and large numbers of children are using sunbeds.

Research conducted by the Irish Cancer Society in April 2010 indicates that 28,000 young people under the age of 25 in Ireland use sunbeds each year. That research also highlights the fact that the majority of children who use sunbeds do so once a week. I welcome the Bill and the debate on it, which has been very positive.

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