Editorial: Tanning industry is taking the heat

They cause wrinkles and cancer but unlike cigarettes, sunbed sessions can be bought by your average teenage girl who just wants what every teenage girl wants - to look hot.

While a 16-year-old wanting to look cool will get turned away when she asks for a packet of smokes, if she goes into her local tanning salon wanting to look brown she'll likely be given about 10 minutes on a bed known to cause the same disease as the ciggies.

Owners of sunbeds were put on notice by the Commerce Commission this week and effectively told to stop promoting their fictional health benefits.

In a letter to about 280 operators and distributors nationally, the Commission cautioned the industry under the Fair Trading Act about overstating the benefits of sunbed use and understating the risks.

But the sunbed saga has become more focused on Tauranga as the week has gone on with Kathryn Wilson, a mum of two who lives in the city, coming out with her shocking story of survival, after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma.

Told she had a 47 per cent chance of being alive in five years, Mrs Wilson strongly suspects the disease can be traced back to a sunbed session that went wrong.

Tauranga's Simon Bridges has since entered the fray as the MP who is going to take on the issue.

He is considering writing a private member's bill to force sunbed operators to comply with guidelines that are currently voluntary.

Under them an operator is meant to turn away those under 18 or anyone with very fair skin, display health warnings, provide a consent form and train staff to assess skin types and determine exposure times.

Given just seven of 69 operators passed a test to see if they were doing all of those things, Mr Bridges would have our support if he did put his pen to paper and get the wheels in motion for some proper legislation.

Having a self-regulated industry is clearly not working and when it comes to matters as important as protecting young people from giving themselves skin cancer.

Mr Bridge's attempt to get some real controls in place should be fast-tracked.

Have your say by leaving a comment below or email the editor on: editor@bayofplentytimes.co.nz