Several thousand cases of melanoma could be avoided if these cabins were prohibited for teenagers. This would also allow significant savings in healthcare costs.
- An American study estimates that 15,000 cases of melanoma would be avoided if tanning booths were banned for teenagers
- In France, these cabins are prohibited for people under 18
Tanning at all costs, even your health: for several years, tanning booths have been decried. These devices are equipped with lamps, which emit ultraviolet rays, thus reproducing the effect of the sun on the skin. Their use increases the risk of skin cancer. In the specialist journal CANCER, American scientists have modeled the consequences of banning these devices. According to their conclusions, if they were banned for minors in the United States, it would prevent thousands of cases of melanoma in adolescents, and save millions of dollars.
A plea for a ban
According to their observations, it is common for teenagers to use these tanning booths in the country. However, the earlier they are used in life, the more they increase the risk of melanoma. The research team estimated the quantified consequences of a ban for 14-17 year olds. It would prevent 15,000 melanomas and nearly 3,300 recurrences in 17 million adolescents. In total, this represents a saving of $61 per adolescent, due to avoided healthcare costs. Taking into account the losses linked to the ban on tanning salons, and the costs of surgical procedures, this estimate is reduced to 12 dollars in savings per person, or approximately 200 million dollars saved over the entire lives of these young people. The authors of this study point out that adolescents have the right to visit UV cabins in Canada and the United States: they believe that these results should make us think about the interest of a ban for this fragile public.
Towards a ban in France?
Since 2009, Brazil has banned tanning booths, followed by Australia in 2014. Iran also banned these devices in 2008. In Austria, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain, UK and in France, people under 18 are not allowed to use them. These various laws are subject to change. For example, in France, the National Health Security Agency (ANSES) recalled the risks of skin cancer associated with UV cabins, in an opinion published in 2018. It stated that it recommends “the public authorities to take any measure likely to put an end to the exposure of the population to artificial UV rays“. According to data from the agency, people who have used tanning booths at least once before the age of 35 increase the risk of developing cutaneous melanoma by 59%. In 2017, approximately 15,000 cases were detected in France.
.
