New laws governing the commercial use of sunbeds, including a ban on ‘unlimited use', are now in effect.

From today (March 2), anyone using sunbeds must be supervised and anyone supervising must be over 18 years of age. Health information must be provided to anyone using, hiring or buying a sunbed and health warning signs must be clearly displayed.

Any signs suggesting alleged health benefits are now banned.

The new rules also state that premises and sunbeds must be maintained in a clean and hygienic manner, while offers such as half price sessions, happy hours and early bird promotions are banned.

Customers will also be required to wear protective eyewear, as evidence is emerging that using sunbeds without such protection can damage the eyes and possibly cause eye cancer.

"This is an important second step in regulating sunbed use. The more that someone uses a sunbed, the higher the risk they will get skin cancer. The incidence of skin cancer is increasing faster than any other type. More than 850 new cases of melanoma are reported in Ireland each year, with 150 Irish people dying annually," commented Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar.

The first phase of restrictions governing sunbed use came into effect last July, when it was made illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use, hire or purchase a sunbed.

Meanwhile sunbed businesses must now notify the HSE of their existence so that a list of such businesses can be established. These new rules will be enforced by HSE environmental health officers and penalties will apply if they are breached. A first offence can result in a fine of up to €4,000 or imprisonment for six months, or both.

The move has been welcomed by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), which has been campaigning for this for several years. It noted that as many as nine in 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or sunbeds, and can therefore be prevented.

"A body of evidence has been built up that shows the clear link between sunbeds and skin cancer. We now know that the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, from any sunbed use is 20% and this increases to 59% if the exposure was while the person was under 35 years of age," commented Kathleen O'Meara of the society.

The new regulations can be viewed here