Ministers were today told to put sanitary bins in men’s public toilets to stop tens of thousands of them from suffering in silence.
Around one in three men over 65 in the UK suffer from urinary incontinence.
But under current laws, sanitary bins only need be provided for female staff in the workplace to dispose of used tampons and pads.
Most women’s public loos also feature them, however no such provision exists for men.
The campaign group, Boys Need Bins, which is backed by Prostate Cancer UK wants this to change.
Businesses and public buildings across Worcestershire this week began installing these bins, after one patient wrote to organisations across the county. Ian Smith (pictured), 64, the patient who championed the change was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2022
It comes as businesses and public buildings across Worcestershire this week began installing these bins, after one patient wrote to organisations across the county.
Ian Smith, 64, the patient who championed the change was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2022.
While he had undergone regular prostate-specific antigen tests to check for the disease, which strikes about one in eight men at some point during their lives, this was disrupted by Covid.
By the time his cancer was identified it had spread to his rectum and is now incurable.
Following radiotherapy and hormone treatment he now suffers from bowel incontinence and has to wear adult nappies.
He told the BBC:Â ‘Because of my treatment, I suffered damage to my bowels and rectum and that’s made me sometimes bowel incontinent.
‘What I wear is full nappy pants… These are a real issue if you need to get rid of them, which is what the Boys Need Bins campaign is all about.
‘Because blokes are what they are, they don’t talk about it… and so most venue owners don’t know it’s a problem’.
According to Prostate Cancer UK, one in 20 men aged 60 and over will experience bowel incontinence.
And the shame and panic surrounding the issue can leave them leading less fulfilling lives, the charity warned.
The charity says more than a third of men with incontinence will avoid leaving home due to leaks and problems with disposing of pads and nappies — which can cost between 50p to £1 each — increasing their risk of social isolation.
Its research also shows a similar number keep wearing soiled pads, rather than try to find somewhere to get rid of them.
‘It’s a far bigger an issue than people tend to realise,’ said Nick Ridgman, head of health information and clinical support at Prostate Cancer UK.
‘Hundreds of thousands of men experience incontinence. But what we don’t have for these men is the kind of provision that we have in women’s toilets’.
Last year, the island of Jersey passed a law demanding sanitary bins in all men’s public toilets, and Winchester Council in Hampshire has voluntarily installed them in its male toilets.
Meanwhile, hygiene specialist PHS Group has already fitted them in all 60 or so motorway service stations run by the Moto group.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men. Around 12,000 men die every year from the disease – the equivalent of one every 45 minutes
Last summer the minister for women, Maria Caulfield MP, said the government was also looking into the issue.
A spokesperson for the government watchdog, the Health and Safety Executive, told MailOnline: ‘As the workplace regulator, we are currently reviewing the ‘Approved Code of Practice’ and guidance of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 regarding provision of disposal facilities in workplace toilets specifically, to ensure they meet the needs of both men and women.’
Around 52,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
But 9,000 men a year are diagnosed once it has already spread, making it the second most common cause of death from cancer in men after lung cancer.
Risk of prostate cancer increases with age, with most cases diagnosed in men aged 50 or older, the NHSÂ says.
Symptoms include needing to urinate more often, having to wait longer before you can pass urine, erectile dysfunction, blood in urine, weight loss or any new and unexplained lower back pain.
Celebrities diagnosed with prostate cancer include Stephen Fry, who said he was ‘stunned’ after finding out he had the disease in 2018.
In 2022 musician Jools Holland revealed he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer after a diagnosis in 2014.
In August, Prostate Cancer UK also announced that referrals for the disease have reached a record high in the last year — rising 17 per cent — thanks to the ‘Bill Turnbull’ effect.
They said they believe the death of ambassador and TV presenter encouraged men to go and get tested.
