How tanning could kill you 
August 10, 2009 by U-WIRE
Recent study of tanning effects finds surprising results
Marla McGill had a lot of plans when she graduated from the University of Florida, but getting skin cancer wasn’t on her list.
The Jacksonville native said she loved the sunshine and went to the tanning salon only a handful of times when she had free passes, but when a small mole on her stomach began to change colors last October, she knew something was wrong.
She was one of more than 25 million Americans who participate in the activity that was announced Wednesday to be carcinogenic — the highest category of cancer risk.
A biopsy confirmed her fears — McGill was diagnosed with the early stages of skin cancer at age 23 — and the cancer was safely removed.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, the risk of skin cancer increases by 75 percent if the person uses a tanning bed before the age of 30.
Based on older research, scientists could only classify tanning beds as possibly harmful, but after analyzing about 20 different studies, researchers determined that tanning beds pose far greater a risk than they previously thought.
The research puts tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation in the same lethal group as tobacco, chimney sweeping and the hepatitis B virus.
International cancer experts also recently deemed tanning beds to be as dangerous as arsenic gas, according to an article on MSNBC.com.
As of Monday, nearly 35 percent of the 1,755 people who responded to an MSNBC.com poll indicated that they had never used a tanning bed, and commenters called them “cancer beds” that “should be illegal.”
But as the use of tanning beds has increased among people under the age of 30, doctors have also seen a rise in the number of young people with skin cancer, according to the article.
“The question is how students will react to this study. Or even if they will react,” said Mel Toran, executive director for North Central Florida’s American Cancer Society. “Our hope is that people will finally recognize the danger that tanning beds present and take caution.”
Toran insists that there are no advantages to using tanning beds, especially given the new research.
“The bottom line is simple,” he said. “If the risk is skin cancer, there is no benefit.”
More than one million cases of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer, are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society Web site, and the number of melanoma cases has risen steadily in the last few years.
Taylor Tribou, a UF political science junior, said the free tanning offered by many companies and apartment complexes make tanning convenient for young people.
Tribou lived at Royal Village Apartments, a complex that offered a free tanning bed to its residents.
She said that her decision to live at Royal Village wasn’t based on the free tanning, but it was a pleasant perk.
“I have fair skin, so I would have had to pay for a tanning membership somewhere else anyway,” she said. “I saved money by signing my lease there. I think it was a smart idea on their part to attract more residents.”
Tribou estimated that she used the tanning bed at her apartment about 30 times during the year and said she plans to continue moderate use.
“I don’t go every day, so I’m not a tan-a-holic or anything,” she said. “I just feel more confident when I’m tan. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
But McGill said her tanning bed days are over.
She said she regrets going to the tanning salon and not wearing enough sunscreen when she went outdoors, and she wishes she had listened to her parents’ warnings to be safe while in the sun.
“The urge to always be tan is such a vanity thing,” she said. “If there’s one thing I learned from my experience, it’s that my health is more important than the color of my skin.”
Has anyone had the chance to review any of these 20 studies that were used?
If not, please note:
When Skin type I people are removed from the IARC research data set, there was no increase in risk for the group being studied. Skin type I individuals are those that have the palest skin type and not recommended to tan indoors. This is stated on all indoor tanning bed and booth warning labels. 18 of 22 studies on this topic show no statistically signficant relationship between indoor tanning and melanoma, which includes the largest and most recent study.
In actuality, this report presents no new data (some of it dates to 1985), ignores confounding information and attempts to reach a new conclusion with no new information. While it remains prudent for individuals to avoid sunburn ( which our industry promotes) it should be noted that there is simply no research that suggests that non-burning UV exposure is a significant risk factor for humans. ]
Natural sunlight is also on this list. When will they shut down Little League baseball and other outside sports?
Funny how this article states that she only used tanning beds a handfull of times and somehow teh beds get blamed for her carcinoma. Skin damage takes years to show up. Her issues was likely a result of damage she did to her skin 10 years ago, not her 10 tanning sessions is the last 2 years.
common sense guys,
Ban the sun scare message and bring on the sun awareness message. Controlled moderate exposure is essential for overall health.
You imply that a person who used a tanning bed a handful of times somehow got skin cancer from it. This is absurd. A fact not lost on your readers I’m sure. When will we learn that excess anything kills? Too much water will kill you if you drink it too quickly but were is the outrage over water? too many beers . . . dead, too many burgers . . . dead etc etc etc.
we have seen hundreds of studies raising the issue of vitamin D deficiency in the USA and sunscreen peddlers are doing their level best to get us to cover from the sun every time we walk out the door. I wonder when the connection will be made by our always eager to sell another horror story media. When people start dieing from the deficiency perhaps? News flash . . . breast cancer and colon cancer are on the rise in dramatic fashion and studies show vitamin D deficiency (you know, that stuff your skin makes when you go outside *gasp*) is a leading factor in the rise.
quit peddling in panic, we have had quite enough, thank you.