Agency criticises sunbed operators

Consumer NZ has called for licensing within the sunbed industry after a survey it commissioned showed a lack of compliance with a voluntary standard.

Consumer said the survey involved sending a 16-year-old girl to 10 sunbed sessions with Wellington operators.

Four were sun-tanning services, four were gyms and two were beauty salons.

Only three operators asked the girl's age, with two calling her mother for permission and the third signing a consent form for her.

Consumer said an earlier standard allowed under-18s to use a sunbed if they obtained parental consent, but it now bans their use by people under the age of 18.

The voluntary standard also recommends that all sunbed users sign a consent form, but only four operators used one.

Of the forms the girl signed, only two mentioned skin cancer risks associated with exposure to UV radiation. All 10 allowed her to take a tanning session.

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said only four operators asked the girl to complete a form giving details of her skin type and any sunburn information.

"Bodyworks didn't even warn her she needed to protect her eyes - she found goggles hanging on the wall. She didn't use the sunbeds but spent her time in the booth completing our survey form."

Ms Chetwin said the lack of compliance was typical of the industry and that previous surveys had found operators frequently ignored, or were unaware of the standard's requirements.

New technology meant sunbeds could expose users to as much as five times the dose of UV radiation received from the midday sun in summer.

Ms Chetwin said the International Agency for Research on Cancer last month put sunbeds in the highest-risk category for causing cancer, along with asbestos and tobacco.

The agency said the risk of skin cancer increased 75 percent when people used sunbeds before age 30.

Ms Chetwin said Consumer NZ believed the industry had shown it couldn't comply with standards and called for the operation of sunbeds to be licensed.

At the very least, people under the age of 18 or with a sensitive Skin Type 1 should be prohibited from using them, she said.

NZPA