Premier of South Australia

The State Government is moving to regulate the use of solariums in South Australia.

Environment and Conservation Minister, Gail Gago said today she was concerned about the health risks associated with excessive solarium use, the increasing number of solariums operating and the effectiveness of the current voluntary industry standards.

“Solariums fall under the Radiation Protection and Control Act, which we've already begun reviewing. 

“I’ve asked the Environment Protection Agency and the Department of Health to prepare a submission that I can take to Cabinet recommending the best way we can go about regulating solariums,” Minister Gago said.

“The Victorian government had already moved in this area and other states are considering similar legislation on regulating solariums, and we’ll be watching closely how they proceed.

“There’s been a dramatic rise in the number of solariums throughout Australia over the past 10 years.

“Figures published earlier this year by the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health show that the number of solariums in Australian capital cities in 2006 had increased fourfold over a 10 year period.

“I’m advised that the number of solariums in South Australia may currently be as high as high as 100,” Minister Gago said.

“The industry currently operates under a voluntary national standards, but there’s evidence interstate suggesting that the standards are not being adhered to in some areas. For example, unsupervised coin operated tanning beds in breach of the standards have been set up in some states, and we don’t want them here.

“Discussions about the regulation of solariums have also been going on between Health Ministers at a federal level, so the time is right to regulate how the industry operates here in SA.

“The Cancer Council of Australia says that a recently published international study found there was a 75% increased risk of melanoma for people under the age of 35 using solariums,” Minister Gago said.

“More than 1500 Australian lose their lives through skin cancer each year, so I have some real concerns about the rapid growth of solariums in our state.

“The current voluntary standards include a ban on anyone under the age of 15 from using a solarium, a ban on people with very fair skin from using them, and solariums not to be promoted as a ‘safe’ or a ‘healthy’ way to tan.

“I think our regulations can go much further than the current voluntary standards and that’s what I’ve asked the Department of Health and the EPA to provide me with recommendations to take to Cabinet,” Minister Gago said.