Ban sunbeds, says High Council for Health

The federal High Council for Health has called for a total ban on sunbeds because of the risk of skin cancer. The official advice is the first the council has produced on sunbeds since 2000, when it asked for stricter regulations governing their use.

While the possible risk of skin cancer has always been acknowledged, the latest advice calls for a total ban, pointing out that there is no safe level of sunbed use. The risk of causing or aggravating skin cancer happens from the very first visit, it said.

Complicating the situation, the council said, the tanning salon industry has repeatedly flouted regulations, despite warnings and fines. A survey earlier this year revealed that only 12 in nearly 200 salons inspected were in line with all the regulations.

Most of the violations concerned information provided to customers, high-risk skin-types being allowed to access sunbeds and maintenance of machines.

According to the High Council, a total ban could result in savings of €238 million in health-care costs and save 6,000 premature deaths from skin cancer over 50 years. In Belgium, 14% of people used a sunbed in 2015. Some 62% of those used them at least 10 times, and 23% of them used sunbeds more than 20 times.

Federal consumer affairs minister Kris Peeters is not in favour of a ban, he said, as such a measure would increase the use of sunbeds at home, where they would be beyond the reach of inspectors. The council, however, pointed out that: “In countries where sunbeds are already banned, such as Brazil and Australia, private use is negligible. The measures taken by minister Peeters, such as an obligatory health warning, are insufficient.”

The High Council for Health dates from 1849 and is the federal government’s main advisory body on public health matters. The council calls in the advice of a range of scientific experts to deal with specific disciplines as the case requires.