London: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been forced to retract a misleading claim suggesting that sunbeds pose a cancer risk equivalent to smoking, following criticism from fact-checkers and regulatory authorities.
In January, the department announced stricter regulations on sunbed use, stating that they were ‘as dangerous as smoking.’ This comparison was also repeated in social media posts shared by the Health Secretary and NHS England, and was subsequently reported by several media outlets.
However, the independent fact-checking organisation Full Fact determined that the claim was inaccurate, warning that such misleading information about cancer risks could inadvertently make smoking appear less harmful than it actually is.
While both smoking and sunbeds are known to cause cancer, the scale of risk between the two is significantly different. According to estimates by Cancer Research UK, smoking is responsible for approximately 80 times more cancer cases in the UK than sunbed use.
Dr. Claire Knight, the senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, explained that both tobacco and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunbeds are classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, meaning there is strong scientific evidence that both cause cancer.
However, Knight emphasised that this classification does not indicate equal levels of risk, noting that tobacco has a far greater overall impact on cancer incidence. The incident has proven potentially embarrassing for the DHSC, particularly as it frequently emphasises the importance of providing accurate public health information.
It was only in March, following intervention from the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), that the DHSC amended its announcement, updated posts on Instagram and Facebook, and deleted the original statement shared on X.
In a statement, the OSR stressed that public bodies have a responsibility to communicate statistics clearly and accurately, ensuring they are not used in a misleading way. It confirmed that, following its engagement, the DHSC took corrective action and committed to avoiding such comparisons in the future.
A spokesperson for the DHSC clarified that while sunbed use is harmful, smoking remains uniquely dangerous and is the leading preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health.
World Health Organization classifies UV-emitting devices such as sunbeds as Group 1 carcinogens, the same category as smoking and other cancer-causing hazards, but noted that the department has now revised its messaging to include clearer context.
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