Department of Health retracts claim sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking

DHSC corrects statements after regulator intervenes as experts say smoking causes far more cancer cases

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.

But the factchecking organisation Full Fact said the claim was wrong, concluding “misleading information about the risk of cancer … risks making smoking seem less harmful than it is”.

While both smoking and sunbeds cause cancer, the risks are not equal.