Fed: Solariums ordered to post warning signs about cancer

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2008
Fed: Solariums ordered to post warning signs about cancer

By Simon Jenkins

CANBERRA, Aug 29 AAP - Solariums will have to display signs warning of the danger of
skin cancer after a Federal Court ruling today.

Tanning salon operators could be jailed for contempt of court if they do not post the
warnings, advising customers that solarium use has been linked to an increased risk of
skin cancer.

The signs will also have to tell customers that tanning does not protect the skin from
sunburn, that skin damage caused by ultraviolet light may not be repaired by the body's
skin repair mechanisms, and that damage can be caused without sunburn.

The rulings are a victory for the family and friends of Melbourne woman Clare Oliver,
26, who died of skin cancer last year.

Ms Oliver believed her cancer was caused by her visits to solariums and used her dying
months to warn against using them.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took the Australian Tanning
Association (ATA) and two companies - Body Bronze International Pty Ltd and Tropical Sun
Industries Pty Ltd - to court for breaches of the Trade Practices Act.

The ACCC claimed the companies had engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct
in relation to the promotion of solarium use.

Justice Ray Finkelstein granted injunctions restraining salons from making false and
misleading claims about the safety of tanning.

He also ordered the ATA and tanning franchises to publish notices in salons and on
websites warning that tanning damages skin.

ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel welcomed the ruling, and said it was notable given the
health message that should be passed onto the Australian community.

Mr Samuel said the court declared that the companies did not reveal that the use of
solariums would lead to an increased risk of skin cancer and skin damage.

The public needed to heed the court's ruling "very carefully and keep in mind that
the court has declared them (the solarium claims) to be false or misleading," he said.

AAP srj/mfh/goc/mn

KEYWORD: SOLARIUM

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