Sunbeds: Strategies needed to address serious public health and economic consequences

March 6, 2017

Highlights

Basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and melanomas are associated with exposure to tanning devices.

In the U.S. in 2015, there were nearly 9,000 incident cases of melanoma attributable to exposure to tanning devices.

In the same year, there more than 86,600 cases of SCC and 168,000 cases of BCC attributable to tanning devices.

The cost of direct medical care for these cases is $343.1 million annually.

These cases will also lead to a total economic loss of $127.3 billion over the lifetime of the individuals affected.

Abstract

Objectives

We estimated the numbers of cases of health care conditions that are causally associated with exposure to tanning devices in the United States, and calculated the costs of medical care for treating these cases.

Methods

The principal unit of analysis for this study is the number of individuals living in the United States who sought treatment for basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), or melanomas. To estimate the percentage of these cases that are attributable to exposure to tanning devices, we calculated the Population Attributable Risk (PAR) for each disease. We calculated annual medical costs on a per-case basis as well as indirect productivity costs, using Years of Potential Life Lost.

Results

There were nearly 9000 incident cases of melanoma, and more than 86,600 cases of SCC and 168,000 cases of BCC, attributable to exposure to tanning devices in the U.S. in 2015. The cost of direct medical care for these cases is $343.1 million annually, and they will lead to a total economic loss of $127.3 billion over the lifetime of the individuals affected.

Conclusions

The use of tanning devices is a significant contributor to illness and premature mortality in the U.S., and also represents a major economic burden in terms of the costs of medical care and lost productivity.

Source:

Waters, HR and Adamson, A. The health and economic implications of the use of tanning devices.  Journal of Cancer Policy, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 28 February 2017. http://www.sciencedirect.com/s...