Tag Archives: World Health Organization

06.28.11
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Study Links Tanning Beds and Melanoma

An Australian study published in the International Journal of Cancer is the first to link tanning bed use with early-onset melanoma. A Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, a branch of the World Health Organization) used a sample of 600+ people and reviewed 19 international informative studies. Their findings concluded that “ever use of sunbeds was positively associated with melanoma.”

Well, did it really have to take that many people and that many studies to figure out that if you lay in a box with skin damaging UV radiation burning into your skin then you just might get skin cancer. I don’t know. What do you think?

Tanning bed use increases the risk of melanoma by 15% in both women and men. If a persons first exposure to tanning beds was  before the age of 35 the risk for developing melanoma increases by 75%! (Based on 7 informative studies).

With all the fight and debate over banning tanning for minors, it’s still very shocking that 2.3 million American teenagers visit tanning salons. The study found that the “frequent motivation for indoor tanning are the acquisition of a so-called safe tan and preparation of the skin before sun exposure.” I hope we all know that this a complete myth!  You can read more about how an “artificially induced tan offers virtually no protection against sun-induced DNA damage” in the paragraph with the title, Effects of artificial uv on human skin.  The study also states that sun exposure is the main environmental cause of skin cancer, but people may be exposed to UV radiation through artificial sources at home and at the workplace. Examples are lamps used in medicine, industry, business and research, domestic and cosmetic purposes.

The ignorance about the dangers of tanning salons is perpetuated by the false claims that tanning salon owners make to their customers.

False Claims such as:

    1. A “base tan” helps to avoid sunburn.
    2. Red UV light offers skin therapy benefits.
    3. Indoor tanning beds can increase levels of Vitamin D in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.
    4. It isn’t safe not to tan. Avoiding the sun highly increases the risk of developing cancers including skin cancer. (What?!)
    5. Indoor tanning is safer than receiving outdoor exposure to the sun.

The conclusion?

“There is no such thing as a safe tan. Young adults should be discouraged from using indoor tanning equipment and restricted access to sunbeds by minors should be strongly considered.”  ~Dr. Béatrice Secretan, coordinator of the IARC Working Group

Source:

Wiley Online Library

03.07.11
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American Academy of Pediatrics Support the Ban on Tanning

In a policy statement released on ultraviolet radiation, published in the March issue of Pediatrics the American Academy of Pediatrics are rallying for all pediatricians to “support and advocate for legislation to ban access to tanning salons for children younger than 18 years.”   They are supported by the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association.

Why is tanning for minors so bad?

  •   There is a 74% higher risk of melanoma for people who use tanning salons than people who don’t
  •  The artificial uv light is 10 t0 15 more intense than the uv light in sunlight
  • At least 1/3 of 17-year-old girls have visited a tanning parlor at least once

While doing research about the ban on tanning for minors I found a melanoma survivor, Jay Allen, from Australia who is collecting signatures to ban tanning salons all together. As of right now Jay Allen has 618 out of the 1,000 needed for his petition. He started sunbedban.com as a national awareness campaign with the goal to see sunbeds banned in Australia. A staggering 2 out of 3 Australians will be treated for skin cancer during their lives. Australian men also have the highest rate of melanoma cancers! To read more about sunbedban.com and sign the petition visit Ban Solariums.