The young and fair skinned tan lovers should give second thoughts to using sun beds as they may induce the development of skin cancer, the European Commission cautioned on Thursday.
The executive arm of the European Union said that its scientific committee on consumer products has concluded that using sun beds, tanning lamps and other ultraviolet radiation devices increases the risk of a skin cancer.European Commission spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber told the press that, "Currently, apparently, there is no limit for manufacturers producing sun beds when it comes to the maximum level of ultraviolet radiation, so basically what could happen is that you could have a product that is basically barbecuing you because there is no upper limit which controls that".
The committee found that in Britain, the people most at risk were the ones with freckles, moles, a family history of melanoma and the young, while 100 people a year are estimated to die because of sunbed use.
"Thus UVR tanning devices should not be used by individuals under the age of 18 years," the Commission warned.
EU rules require low voltage devices to be safe and the Commission will request member states and the tanning industry to ensure that there are warnings to avoid misuse.
The executive will also direct agencies that certify products to introduce ultraviolet radiation limits. The primary source of UVR exposure is the sun, but some people are substantially exposed to UV from sunbed.
UVR tanning devices were not popular before the 1990s, and it will take a few years before the role of the UVR tanning devices in causing skin cancer becomes fully apparent, says the Commission .
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