Sunbeds can cause skin cancer: WHO

The WHO said an estimated 132,000 cases of malignant melanoma were reported annually.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that sunbeds posed a risk of skin cancer and nobody under 18 years of age should use it, reports Xinhua.

"It is known that young people who get a tan from exposure to ultraviolet (rays) would have a greater risk of developing melanoma later. Recent studies demonstrate the direct link between the use of sunbeds and cancer," the WHO said.

The WHO said an estimated 132,000 cases of malignant melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer) were reported annually.

An estimated 66,000 people died from malignant melanoma and other skin cancers.

These figures continued to rise. In Norway and Sweden, the annual incidence of melanoma was estimated to have more than tripled in the last 45 years.

In the US, the rate had doubled in the last 30 years.