July 31st, 2009 Add Your Comments Share
When I was in high school, my girlfriends would joke that going to the tanning bed was going to give them cancer. Now, it seems the joke is on them. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in the new issue of the Lancet Oncology that teens and young adults who use tanning beds increase their risk of developing the cancerous melanoma cells by 75%. Yes, you heard right – 75%!

This staggering announcement has tanning salons across the country squirming in their seats. Until now, the experts who advise the World Health Organization had not confirmed a link between tanning beds, sunlamps, and cancer. Basically you are putting your money into high risk and little reward stocks by stripping down to you bikini and toasting under the heat lamps every time you go tanning.

According to this article released by USNews.com, “Many dermatologists suggest that the tanning industry, like the tobacco industry before it, is manipulating and distorting scientific evidence to protect a dangerous product.” This isn’t surprising when you think about the big dollars that go into the tanning bed industry. One tanning bed can cost up to $15,000, and some salons have a dozen of them.

If you interested in reading the full story, click here.

Source:( http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/06/25/the-indoor-tanning-industry-wants-you.html?PageNr=1)

Advocate, Lauren Head shotArticle Summary by: Lauren Alt, iHealth360 advocate for health reform