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The Journal
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Journal
Dublin tanning salons 'heavily' promoting products that encourage sunbed use
NEW RESEARCH HAS found that some Dublin tanning salons are 'heavily promoting' products that encourage sunbed use, including accelerators, despite there being a ban on promoting sunbeds themselves. While salons were still compliant with the Sunbeds Act itself, the HSE says the research shows a need for tighter regulations on these related promotions. The study, published by the Institute of Public Health and the HSE National Cancer Control Programme. It examined the marketing practices of two tanning salon operators in Dublin. The Sunbeds Act ensures that no person under 18 years of age can use a sunbed in any premises, and that sunbeds cannot be sold or hired to under-18s. Further restrictions put into place in 2015 banned certain marketing practices in relation to sunbeds, such as making positive health claims about their use. The study found that two operators used marketing strategies that made sunbed use 'sound appealing', and encouraged their use across a range of premises. Advertisement Ireland has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with more than 11,000 people diagnosed with skin cancer each year. Sunbed use is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, with the highest risk associated with use in childhood and adolescence, and with using sunbeds frequently. Around 3% of the population are reportedly currently using sunbeds. The study found that words like 'glowing' were used in social media posts related to sunbed use, and that tanning drinks were often promoted as being beneficial health wise as well. Dr Richard Purves from the Institute for Social Marketing and Health at the University of Stirling, which led the research, said that the study showed that while operators are complying with 'the letter of the law', they often incentivise sunbed use by offering free or discounted products. 'Instagram plays a central role, with images of bronzed models, beach scenes, and limited-time promotions designed to attract customers. In-store marketing and special offers on tanning products further encourage sunbed use. Notably, some messaging still hints at unproven health benefits, exposing potential gaps in current regulations,' he added Dr Breeda Neville, specialist in public health medicine with the HSE National Cancer Control Programme said that the marketing strategies being employed by some operators are 'very concerning', especially when it comes to interactive content on instagram aimed at promoting sunbed use. The HSE advises that you should never use a sunbed, as it will increase your risk of skin cancer, and every user is put at risk. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
See - Sada Elbalad
24-05-2025
- See - Sada Elbalad
North Macedonia Reports Earliest 2 Cases of Monkeypox
Rana Atef North Macedonia's Institute of Public Health has announced the country's first two confirmed cases of monkeypox. Speaking at a press conference, the Institute's Director, Marija Andonovska, stated—according to the news outlet Prot—that the two infected individuals are men born in 1985 and 1981, both residing in the capital, Skopje, with no connection between them. She also noted that neither of the men had traveled abroad recently. Health Minister Jovica Andovski urged the public 'not to panic,' reassuring citizens that the disease is not unknown and that there is an established treatment protocol in place. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
CBC
21-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
'It's completely unfair:' Moms in western Quebec fear arsenic emissions from Horne Smelter
Jennifer Turcotte says no one wants to raise kids in a town knowing their backyard, soil and air contain high levels of arsenic. A resident of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., home of the Horne Smelter which has been in operation since 1927, the mom of three says the solution is not as simple as moving away. "It's very complex," said Turcotte, standing outside Quebec's National Assembly, taking part in a protest on Thursday. "We're attached to the area, we love our community… it's extremely difficult to know you have to deal with this risk." For years, residents like Turcotte have been raising awareness about the need to lower arsenic emissions in her hometown. While there have been several studies on the effects of Canada's only copper smelter, a 2022 study by Quebec's Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) confirmed higher rates of cancer and pulmonary diseases are directly linked to high arsenic and cadmium emissions in Rouyn-Noranda due to the Horne Smelter. The co-spokesperson for Mères au front de Rouyn-Noranda, Turcotte is among the locals demanding that those living in the town located in western Quebec face the same level of risk as other Quebecers. Kids particularly vulnerable to toxins In the early 1900s, prospector Edmund Henry Horne discovered copper and gold in the area, which led to mining and the development of the town of Noranda — which later merged with neighbouring Rouyn. The smelter was built in 1926, long before environmental norms were established. It is owned now by Glencore Canada, whose Swiss parent company produces and markets a range of metals and minerals worldwide. In 2024, the smelter announced it was making progress toward reducing arsenic emissions, saying it was down nearly 40 per cent from the year before. The smelter said about 99 per cent of the urban area of Rouyn-Noranda had emissions of 15 nanograms of arsenic per cubic metre of air or below. Meanwhile, Quebec's provincial norm for arsenic emissions is an annual average of three nanograms per cubic metre. In 2021, the smelter was permitted to emit a maximum of 100 nanograms per cubic metre of arsenic into the air, or 33 times the Quebec standard. Arsenic is associated with things like skin, lung, liver and bladder cancer, says Dr. Koren Mann, professor and chair of pharmacology and therapeutics at McGill University. Having studied the effects of arsenic, she says it's also associated with cardiovascular diseases, immune changes and diabetes. "We don't know how long it takes to develop a disease," said Mann. "We don't know if you're exposed as a child and you remove them from the arsenic, does that decrease the risk later on?" She says kids are particularly vulnerable as their brains, bones and immune systems are growing. "These tend to be really vulnerable stages for environmental exposures and environmental toxins," said Mann. 'My children are no less important,' says resident On Thursday, dozens of protesters stood in solidarity in Quebec City — some smearing black paint across their bodies to symbolize the effects of the chemicals on residents. "It's the only place where this [provincial] standard isn't forced to be applied. So it doesn't make sense," said Isabelle Fortin-Rondeau with Mères au front de Rouyn-Noranda. "My children are no less important than children in Quebec City or Montreal. My children's health is no less important than that of the children of elected officials." Fortin-Rondeau says she's not sure she made the right decision moving back to Rouyn-Noranda to raise her family. Having left her hometown for years, she said when she returned home, she wasn't aware of the "extent of the contamination." "I've been exposing my children for an average of 15 years to all these contaminants, and potentially to developing cancer," said Fortin-Rondeau. "I say to myself, 'well, my God, if I knew this, I could have made different choices.'" New biomonitoring program for employees On Thursday, at the same time as the protest in Quebec City, the smelter held a news conference in Rouyn-Noranda to announce an arsenic biomonitoring program to evaluate the exposure of environmental contaminants among its employees, their social circles and families. Measuring concentrations of substances found in participants' urine and fingernails, for example, the company says participation in the study will be voluntary. To participate, employees and their families must contact the teams at Intrinsik — a science-based consulting firm. As part of the announcement, the smelter's general manager, Vincent Plante, said 2018 and 2019 biomonitoring studies left questions unanswered and that the company is looking for more information on the "real internal exposure" of arsenic. The research that has been done so far has provided a very select picture, says Mann. "We don't have even a good handle on what the long-term consequences are," she said. "Residents in Rouyn-Noranda have a higher level of lung cancer than the average Quebec population and yet have lower rates of tobacco smoking … is it the arsenic?" As a resident of the city, Turcotte says she feels the smelter's announcement is part of a strategy to attempt to "dilute what we already know." "We know the risks associated with the contaminants we're exposed to and they're sufficient for the government to enforce standards," she said.
