Artificial tanning devices: public health interventions to manage sunbeds

With increasing exposure by young people, often women, to artificial ultraviolet radiation, the health risks soon became apparent. Artificial tanning is now seen as a public health issue accounting for about half a million new cancer diagnoses each year in the United States of America, Europe and Australia. Evidence of an association between artificial tanning and risk of skin cancer clearly shows that the risk is highest in those exposed to artificial tanning in early life. 

In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) responded to this growing public health challenge by publishing a guidance document on sunbed legislation, Artificial Tanning Sunbeds, Risks and Guidance. In addition, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified exposure to UVemitting tanning devices (sunbeds) as carcinogenic to humans in 2009. Since then, momentum has been building among policy-makers to regulate sunbed use and now more than 40 national or provincial authorities around the world have implemented outright bans or restrictions on the use of sunbeds.

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on good health and well-being, WHO is strongly committed to reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, through various prevention and control strategies (SDG indicator 3.4).

This booklet is intended to provide policy-makers with information on the health risks from sunbed use, and how some countries have tackled this challenge through a number of public health interventions. Governments and other stakeholders have a key role to play in addressing and challenging the myths and behaviours related to sunbed use, often by youth, which contributes to increasing morbidity and mortality while providing no clear benefit beyond cosmetic outcomes.