Solaria compliance with the Australia/New Zealand Standard in Adelaide

To assess the compliance of solarium centres in metropolitan Adelaide with the Australia/ New Zealand Standard, specifically determining the access of different groups, skin cancer warnings and the use of consent forms.

Three groups of research assistants approached 30 solarium centres by telephone and in person. Centres were assessed on recommendations/claims made, warnings given and access to a solarium.

There was an extremely low level of compliance with the standard. Sixty per cent of centres allowed access to under-aged clients, 93% of centres allowed access to fair-skinned clients, and only 53% consistently required clients to sign a consent form. Restriction of under-age and fair skin access was greatly over-reported over the telephone compared to actual access.

The results highlight the need to increase adherence to the standard.