City Council under fire over "irresponsible" solarium service

[Ezliving_Jim]

ABC NEWS

Council under fire over solarium service

• Map: Kalgoorlie 6430

The Cancer Council Western Australia is critical of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder City Council for continuing to offer a solarium service at its wholly-owned and operated Oasis recreation centre.

New research shows people under 35 who use the tanning machines almost double the risk of developing the potentially fatal melanoma skin cancer.

The Oasis, in south-east WA, has had a solarium for the past nine years.

The Cancer Council's Terry Slevin says given the new research, it would be irresponsible for the council to continue its service.

"The reality is that these kind of leisure facilities, some have been offering this facility, I suspect a lot of them have been done so in the absence of the knowledge that we clearly have now, so perhaps in the past it might not have been so irresponsible," he said.

"If it continues I think it would quite legitimately be called irresponsible."

Kalgoorlie Boulder Mayor Ron Yuryevich says skin cancer awareness has greatly increased within the community and the solarium operation will be reviewed soon.

He does stress the machines are run in accordance to Australian standards.

But councillor Yuryevich agrees with the Cancer Council's sentiments about the tanning devices and says the operation will now come under the council's scrutiny.

"I'm not sure exactly how much income they make, but that's yet to be investigated and will be discussed at the next Oasis committee meeting," he said.

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