MP Receives Tanning Ban Support from Girls Aloud Star

A campaign by a Welsh MP to ban the use of tanning salon sunbeds by under-18s is receiving backing from the government and has been lent support by Nicola Roberts, a member of pop group Girls Aloud.

According to the BBC, the singer plans to make a documentary highlighting the dangers of the tanning industry.

Health secretary Andy Burnham said the scientific evidence of harm to skin and a link to skin cancer was clear and the a bill has been put forward by Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan to get the use of salons by under-18s banned.

Ms Morgan stated “It’s a Bill that’s urgently needed”, and expressed her delight at receiving the backing of the Health Secretary on the matter. In addition, she outlined her desire to see an end to unmanned tanning sunbeds. The present position is that it is not illegal for salons to operate unattended. Any ban on the use of sunbeds by under-18s would bring Wales in to line with Scotland, who banned under 18s in December of last year.

Tanning salons can undoubtedly cause real damage to people using them. Unmanned salons are particularly dangerous as different people have different skin pigmentation. This means using a sunbed on a particular heat for a particular length of time may be ok for one person, but could cause serious burns or blistering of the skin to another. This is even more of a risk to under-18s whose bodies are still developing, making them particularly vulnerable to burns.