Russell Worth solicitors is welcoming a new campaign launched by Liverpool City Council which is calling for tighter regulation on sunbeds.
‘The Look to Die For?’ campaign is asking the Government to provide each local authority in England with the power to license and regulate sunbed businesses, with the aim of giving sunbed users in England the same level of information and protection found in the rest of the UK.
Currently, England is worryingly behind Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland when it comes to making sure that people are educated about the dangers associated with sunbed use. Local authorities in other parts of the UK already have the power to license and regulate sunbed businesses.
The Look to Die For? campaign is aiming to make sure that each sunbed outlet in England:
– Is supervised by a properly trained member of staff
– Displays and provides sunbed users with detailed information about how to use a sunbed and the associated health risks
– Does not display or provide misleading information
– Provides protective eyewear for users
– Follows health and safety rules
As part of our Safe Sunbed campaign, we have created an infographic on the dangers of sunbed use. The infographic contains alarming figures which show the full impact that using sunbeds can have. To view the infographic, please click here.
Sandra Davies, who works for the Public Health department at Liverpool City Council, spoke about the objective of The Look to Die For? campaign.
“We’re really concerned in Liverpool about the increase in skin cancers, and we know the risks associated with using a sunbed,” she said. “Using them just once a month raises the risk of skin cancer by as much as 59%.
“Young women in Liverpool take real care in what they look like, and it seems to be part of the culture of looking good and feeling good. When we talk to families and parents, they think that young people can tan and use sunbeds on a number of occasions weekly, for up to six minutes, and they think it’s safe – so the message just hasn’t got out there.
Liverpool has one of the highest rates of sunbed use in England, with young people in Liverpool more likely to have used sunbeds by the age of 17 than in any other part of the country.
“Over the last 25 years, the rates of malignant melanoma in Britain, which is the most serious form of skin cancer, have risen faster than any top ten cancers in males and females, so we know it’s escalating very quickly,” Sandra continued.
“We really need to take action now, we can’t wait any longer.”
To find out more about this campaign, visit the website at: www.thelooktodiefor.co.uk