Government loses fight over sunbed adverts

Published on 22/08/2012 00:28

The advertising watchdog has rejected complaints by the ­Scottish Government about a campaign promoting sunbeds as a source of vitamin D.

A leaflet for the Indigo Sun tanning centre said: “Exposure to UV light (whether from sunlight or sunbeds) is the most ­important source of vitamin D for people in the UK.”

It went on to offer sunbed sessions within a limited time and ran a series of “fact versus fiction” questions surrounding their use.

The Scottish Government said the leaflet was misleading and irresponsible and contradicted the World Health Organisation’s advice on the use of sunbeds as a source of vitamin D.

Defending the leaflet, Indigo Sun said it was generally accepted that people in the UK got 
90 per cent of their vitamin D from exposure to UV light and that it was a fact that UV exposure from sunbeds stimulated vitamin D production.

They did not recommend the exclusive use of sunbeds as a source of UV and the leaflet included health warnings that customers should be aged 18 or over, that people with fair skin or moles should avoid exposure and that all customers should avoid over-exposure and wear eye protection.

Rejecting the Scottish Government’s complaints, the ­Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed it was widely accepted that UV light was the primary source of vitamin D for UK citizens.

The ASA ruling continued: “We noted that the claim was a general one regarding the importance of UV as a source of vitamin D.

“We noted that the leaflet contained warnings regarding over-exposure, the need for eye protection and the need for people with certain skin types to avoid exposure to UV completely.

“We did not therefore consider that readers would infer from the claim that there were no health risks associated with exposure to UV from sunbeds, or that sunbeds were any safer than sunlight.”