New Studies Find Tanning Beds “As Deadly As Arsenic”

Posted 08-08-2009 3:54 am by
No longer are tanning beds just deemed “unsafe” by the medical community, but recent studies now prove that tanning beds are also in fact dangerous and a “definite cause of cancer.” 

Twenty new studies led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, show that the risk of skin cancer increases by 75% when one uses tanning beds before the age of 30. Mutations were also found in mice from the ultraviolet rays of the beds, proving what scientists had only hypothesized before that the beds and their rays were carcinogenic.  This new finding puts tanning beds into the top cancer risk category by the international cancer experts.

The ultraviolet rays given off by tanning beds cause mostly skin and eye cancers, but it is to be noted that arsenic and tobacco are still more potent.  The link between tanning beds and skin cancer is now being associated with the link found between lung cancer and smoking tobacco.

Disputing the classification of tanning beds as carcinogenic is Kathy Banks, chief executive of The Sunbed Association, a European trade association of tanning bed makers and operators. “The fact that is continuously ignored is that there is no proven link between the responsible use of sunbeds and skin cancer,” said Banks in a statement. According to Banks, most users of tanning beds use them fewer than 20 times a year.

However, tanning beds have steadily increased among people under 30, with doctors observing an alarming rise in the numbers of young people with skin cancer. Skin cancer rates are normally the highest in people over 75, but with the increased usage of tanning beds, this is no longer the case.

Health experts recommend that if people really want tanned skin, they should stick to spray tans and bronzers in the form of cream and powder. But being pale (not tanning) is what is most recommended. Of course, time in the sun should not be banned. Just be smart about it and lather up and wear a hat and shades.

Got a sunburn from your recent bad bout in the sun? Or have any other skin care questions? Contact an online doctor today at kooldocs.com!

Permalink   Comments (0)   Send to a Friend

Post New Comment
Name:
Email:
Message:
Show Contact Info:	NoYes
	Please enter the text in the image exactly as it appears in the box.

RSS Subscription