posted 28th January 2025
UV Light
The four main elements we rely on for our lives and wellbeing are air, water, earth and sunlight. If we take any of these forces away, then quite simply, we would not exist! There would be no life without the sun - but life with too much sun may not be good either.
Ultraviolet rays - UVC, UVB and UVA - are emitted by the sun. UVC rays, the most dangerous to the human system, are filtered out by the upper atmosphere but some UVB (which can cause sunburn and eye damage) and UVA, reach the earth's surface. The intensity depends on the angle of the sun - ie the geographical position, season and time of day. UV levels can increase by up to 50% between 11am and 1pm!
UV is invisible. People outdoors are exposed to varying levels of UV and they are often unaware of the UV intensity. Unfortunately, warnings of sunburn often come too late. A survey in Denmark revealed that beach sunbathers exposed themselves for an average of three-and-a-half hours a day.
Sunbed lamps simulate the sun and emit UVA and UVB but they go a stage further and control the output with a balance of UV to minimise the risk of burning and maximise the tanning. As we know - no-one controls the sun! Sunbed lamp technology is subject to on-going research and development programmes to keep abreast of researched evidence on the effects of UV.
Facts
7% of the UK's adult population uses a sunbed = over 3 million people
70% of people want to be tanned
95% of sunbed users do not exceed the European Standard on maximum number of sessions per annum
88% of the UK population has skin types that can tan successfully in a controlled environment
38% of sunbed users do so for a pre-holiday tan.
83% of sunbed users claim to be quite or very knowledgeable of the possible risks from over-exposure to UV.
Source: Consumer Research on Sun tanning and Sunbeds, The Sunbed Association, UK, 1997, conducted by Taylor Nelson with a sample base of 6143 adults.
The main benefit of being tanned is seen as looking and feeling healthier. The main reason for using a sunbed is for a pre-holiday tan. Whilst the sun protection factor from a sunbed tan does not provide total protection, people having a base tan are less likely to over-expose themselves during the initial days of a holiday.
