Australia has decided to ban tanning beds. The country has the highest rate of melanoma in the world.
UV cabins will soon be a thing of Australia’s past. The authorities have decided to ban them from January 1. To tan, you will therefore have to go outside.
11,000 annual diagnoses
The six states of Australia have made this decision in the face of the resurgence of cases of melanoma in the population, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Scientific literature has shown the link between exposure to artificial UV rays and the occurrence of these pathologies. Using these cabins before the age of 35 would increase the risk of skin cancer by half.
Australia has had a bitter experience of it. It has the highest melanoma rate in the world, with 11,000 diagnoses and 1,400 deaths each year. In 2007, one story particularly struck the spirits. That of Clare Olivier, 25, suffering from pathology and activist in her last hours against UV cabins. Indeed, young people are particularly exposed to radiation, according to a large study published in Pediatrics.
Hole in the ozone layer
In fact, skin cancer has been a public health issue for about thirty years in Australia, where prevention campaigns are increasing. According to the Cancer Council, in a country facing a hole in its ozone layer and strong sunshine, two in three Australians will be affected by this pathology before their 70s.
So, to limit the risks, the authorities of the six states decided to strike a blow. The devices remain authorized in the private sphere. But institutes and beauty salons will have to readjust their offer.
Legislation is moving
Exposure to artificial UV rays has been recognized as one of the main causes of the sharp increase in skin cancer by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has advised against the use of tanning beds since 2003.
In 2009, Brazil itself decided to ban them. In France, the Senate proposed in 2012 to ban UV lamps, without any effect.
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