ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1597621
This article is part of the Research TopicNon-Ionizing Radiation: Impacts on Human Health from Exposures in Occupational SettingsView all 6 articles
Current status of national regulations on tanning bed use and workers' protection from solar ultraviolet radiation: Results from a global International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) questionnaire study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Dermatology, Environmental Medicine and Health Theory, Institute for Health Research and Education, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- 2Division of Occupational Medicine, Department of Occupational Medicine, Hazardous Substances and Health Sciences, Statutory Accident Insurance for the Health and Welfare Services, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- 3Institute for Interdisciplinary Dermatological Prevention and Rehabilitation (iDerm) at Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- 4Lower Saxony Institute of Occupational Dermatology (NIB), Osnabrück, Germany
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Introduction: Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the most important risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Outdoor workers and people who use tanning beds belong to the high-risk groups for developing this disease. The aim of the present study was to gather data about national regulations on the use of tanning beds and worker's protection from solar UVR. Methods: Member societies of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) were asked to participate in a survey by using standardised online questionnaires from January 2023 to January 2024. Results: A total of 100 dermatologists from 66 different countries answered. Responses were pooled if more than one person responded for one country. Occupationally acquired skin cancer by solar UVR can be recognised as an occupational disease in 29 (43.9%) of 66 responding countries. In 29 (43.9%) of 66 responding countries there are legal instruments available aimed at controlling the cosmetic use of tanning beds. In 48 (72.7%) of 66 countries, the responding member society currently participates in any activities on UVR protection and/or use of tanning beds. Discussion: The results of the presented study indicate a strong need for further action in terms of skin cancer prevention on different levels. This is of high importance due to the fact that skin cancer is a rapidly increasing global public health concern. This issue is particularly applicable to high-risk groups regarding the development of occupational skin cancer, as a) outdoor workers as well as b) people from the general population who may have limited awareness or understanding of UVR exposure risks (e.g., through tanning bed use).
Keywords: Cancer, Occupation, prevention, regulation, Skin, Tanning, ultraviolet radiation
Received: 21 Mar 2025; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bieck, Alberts and John. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Swen Malte John, Department of Dermatology, Environmental Medicine and Health Theory, Institute for Health Research and Education, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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