Nobody under the age of 18 should use a sunbed, the World Health Organisation said yesterday, concerned that the teenage pursuit of a tan may end in long-term skin damage or even cancer.

The dangers are greatest in the lighter-skinned populations of northerly countries in Europe and North America where the sun-seeking culture is also strongest, said the WHO. There are now an estimated 132,000 cases of melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, every year, and 2m other skin cancers, and the numbers are rising rapidly.

The WHO wants to spur governments into action. It points out that France and California already have laws banning under-18s from sunbeds. "There has been mounting concern over the past several years that people, and in particular, teenagers, are using sunbeds excessively to acquire tans which are seen as socially desirable. However, the consequence of this sunbed usage has been a precipitous rise in the num ber of skin cancer cases," said Kerstin Leitner, the WHO assistant director general responsible for environmental health. "We are therefore calling attention to this fact and we would hope this recommendation will inspire regulatory authorities to adopt stricter controls on the usage of sunbeds."

Some sunbeds emit radiation many times stronger than that of the midday sun, says the WHO, but only a few countries such as Belgium, France and Sweden impose limits on the proportion of dangerous UV-B rays permitted.

Skin cancers, eye damage and premature ageing are some of the potential long-term consequences for teenagers seeking a tan.