BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission warned consumers Friday they may be paying for that winter tan long after they have left the tanning salon.
It issued a report that found dangerous levels of ultraviolet radiation in 14 per cent of tanning beds in the European Union and safety violations such as insufficient warnings about radiation hazards or missing cautions that tanning beds should not be used by people under 18.
"I am concerned a high percentage of sun beds and sun bed services were found not to respect safety rules," said EU Health Commissioner John Dalli. "This is an important health concern since the incidence of skin cancer is doubling every 15 to 20 years."
The report investigated more than 500 tanning beds in 300 salons and gyms in Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland.
It recommended governments step up safety enforcement, inform consumers better about tanning hazards and increase checks of tanning facilities.
The European Commission said over the next two years it will work with industry to make tanning equipment safer and draft a code of conduct for tanning studios.
Similar warnings have been issued elsewhere.
Last summer, the World Health Organization's cancer division listed tanning beds as definitive cancer-causers, right alongside the ultraviolet radiation that they and the sun both emit. An analysis of numerous studies concluded the risk of melanoma jumps by 75 per cent in people who used tanning beds in their teens and 20s.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently decided that labels on tanning beds warning about the cancer link aren't visible enough to consumers and don't fully convey the risk, especially to young people. Next month, the FDA's scientific advisers will open a public hearing to explore stricter tanning bed regulation, including stiffer warnings.
?? The Canadian Press, 2010