Sunbed operator backs ban

Rules may be enforced to protect teenagers from the harm of sunbeds. Photo/File

Rotorua sunbed operators should be forced to comply with rules to protect teenagers and the fair-skinned from too much tanning, says a local beauty therapist.

Auckland has become the nation's first city to ban under-18s from using sunbeds in response to cancer risks.

Under an Auckland Council bylaw, which came into effect on Tuesday commercial sunbed operators are banned from operating unless they obtain a council licence.

It is aimed at limiting harm from commercial sunbeds and includes a ban on treating people under 18 years old.

Outside the Auckland region, New Zealand sunbed operators are asked to comply with only a voluntary standard, which states that people under 18 and those of any age with fair skin should not be treated.

Exquisite Total Image salon owner Nicole Harvey said her salon complied with the voluntary standard and performed skin checks on clients before approving them for sunbed use.

"I think [a bylaw] is good, I think the whole industry needs a standard to be set."

However, Rotorua District Council compliance solutions manager Neven Hill said the council had not considered whether to introduce a bylaw.

"To date no sunbed issues have arisen here that require council intervention. The health side of sunbeds is an issue for local health authorities, Toi Te Ora Public Health."

The Auckland bylaw also covers tattooing, body piercing, hair removal and nail services. A code of practice requires sunbed operators to explain the risks to customers and display warning notices.

A Health Ministry survey last year estimated there were about 140 commercial sunbed operators nationally.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified tanning devices that emit ultraviolet radiation as a cause of cancer in humans. Its analysis shows the risk of melanoma, a form of skin cancer, increased by 75 per cent when the use of tanning devices starts before age 30.

New Zealand has one of the world's highest rates of melanoma with more than 300 deaths each year.

However, we have been slow to follow the international trend of prohibiting under 18s from using tanning beds. The Government last year promised to introduce an under-18s ban, but the measure has been delayed.

Sunbed industry group Indoor Tanning Industry New Zealand said it would like to see the Auckland bylaw rolled out nationwide. "We've been pushing for this for a long time," spokesman Rene Fouwler said.

The proposed Government ban did not go far enough, and the bylaw was more comprehensive, he said.

Provisions of the nationwide voluntary standard, such as waiting 48 hours between tanning sessions and restrictions on tanning those with fair skin, should be made compulsory. additional reporting by Martin Johnston