Further evidence has shown the dangers of using indoor tanning booths, researchers warn today.
More than 5% of new cases of melanoma each year in Western Europe are linked to sunbed use, and now experts are calling for Europe to introduce a "tan tax", following the example of the US.
In the British Medical Journal, researchers led by Professor Eleni Linos of the University of California San Francisco, USA, focused on non-melanoma skin cancer. They report on their analysis of 12 studies of the skin cancers basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 9,328 cases were examined.
People who had ever used an indoor tanning salon had a 67% higher risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, and a 29% higher risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, than those who had not.
This means that indoor tanning accounts for about 4% of cases of basal cell carcinoma in the US, and 8% of cases of squamous cell carcinoma, equalling about 170,652 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer each year.
Because people younger than 25 years are particularly vulnerable, they should be warned about the long term risks, say the authors.
They conclude: "We hope that these findings can support public health campaigns and motivate increased regulation to reduce exposure to this carcinogen, especially during early life."
Commenting on the analysis, Dr Catherine Olsen and colleagues at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia, state that exposure to artificial ultraviolet radiation from sunbed use "is a cause of the three main skin cancers".
They believe the industry "must be tethered to warnings by health professionals and educators about the risks of indoor tanning".
Linos, E. et al. Indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Medical Journal October 2 2012
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