Department of Health retracts claim sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking

In January, when stricter rules for sunbeds were announced, DHSC posts on social media incorrectly claimed they were ‘as dangerous as smoking’. Photograph: Tiny Ivan/Alamy

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has had to retract a misleading claim that sunbeds are as dangerous a cancer risk as smoking.

In January, health officials announced stricter rules for sunbeds, incorrectly claiming they were “as dangerous as smoking”. The comparison was repeated in social media posts shared by the health secretary and NHS England and was reported by a number of media outlets.