After a recent meeting of 20 scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon - the World Health Organization's (WHO) leading source for information on cancer - the WHO has upgraded the risks of sunbeds from their earlier "probably carcinogenic," category to the 'carcinogenic to humans' category.

The upgrade of sunbeds into the dangerous products' group, in terms of cancer risk, is based on the scientists' review of recent studies which underlined the emission of the ultraviolet radiation by sunbeds. The move also brings sunbeds alongside cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos, mustard gas, and plutonium, so far as products associated with maximum cancer risk are concerned.

Commenting on the cancer risk of tanning devices like sunbeds, Dr Fatiha El Ghissassi and colleagues noted in The Lancet Oncology: "A comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that the risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75 per cent when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age. Additionally, several case control studies provide consistent evidence of a positive association between the use of UV-emitting tanning devices and ocular melanoma."

While melanoma cases have increased by a third since 2003, the total number of skin cancer cases has increased twofold in the last ten years.

Ghissassi concluded: "Therefore, the Working Group raised the classification of the use of UV-emitting tanning devices to Group 1, -'carcinogenic to humans'."