Sunbathing is now killing more people than driving accidents, says a new study on the problem in Britain.
The report found that more people die on an annual basis from skin cancer than road accidents and warned that women were at greater risk than men. This is due to the increase in the numbers of females using tanning beds which operate at hotter levels than the midday sun in the Mediterranean.
The MailOnline reports that a major alarm has been sounded by experts over the danger of UV exposure.
The consultant dermatologist and head of skin cancer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Walayat Hussain, said the biggest issue was the rate of increase they are seeing in skin cancer. And she made particular reference for those under 35 who develop melanoma – the most serious skin cancer – by exposing themselves to the ran on sunbeds.
She said that people often felt invincible when it came to getting a tan but it can have a disastrous effect later in life.
Figures for 2012 show that there was a quarter more deaths linked to skin cancer than to car accidents. That amounted to over 2000 deaths every year in Britain from melanoma and from the disease spreading to other organs in the body. There were 300 less deaths on the road in the UK during the same period.
Most skin cancer cases, as much as 86% according to latest estimate, originate from exposure to ultra violet radiation, says UK Cancer Research. And they highlight the fact than a single indoor tanning session, increases the risk of developing skin cancer by 67%.
