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Health Buzz: Tanning Beds Blamed for Cancer and Other Health News

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The link below states that the WHO links excessive UV exposure to skin cancer in 0.1% globally. However, it also states that Vitamin D deficiency might contribute to illness and death in 3.3 Billion people globally.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290997/
As you probably are aware, America is severely Vitamin D deficient. Anything that you could do as a health writer to promote and defeat this fact would certainly help the majority of your reading audience.
The irony in the WHO announcement about sun tanning machines and ultraviolet radiation is that one's main source of Vitamin D is from the sun. According to their own words 3.3 Billion world wide need more UV to get Vitamin D. Yet this message was ignored.
And yet another twist is that sun tanning machines produce Vitamin D in massive quantities just like the sun. How much? Up to 20,000 IUs in 10-20 minutes. A glass of milk for comparison has only 60. That's a lot of milk to drink if you want equal quantities of Vitamin D!

John of NJ 6:57AM December 07, 2009

stage IV melanoma after using a tanning bed for 2 years.
My mole popped up, changed, itched and bled right at the end of a 2 year (killing spree) I unknowingly induced upon myself....
Biopsy, melanoma, 1 year later I had melanoma in both lungs, my liver, wrapped around my esopogus, riddled through all my lymph nodes in my chest... and given 6-9 months to live.
The stove IS hot, and tanning beds WILL kill you.
The truth has finally been confirmed, believe it or not, tanning beds can and will kill you. At least now like cigerettes people are starting to be warned, and can hopefully make an educated decision if they want to risk their lives over a sun tan.
20 studies have now proven this, it is now a FACT, stop dealing with the devil and at least acknowledge YES just like asbestos, arsenic and other hazards, they all can kill you slowly, one breath at a time, one teaspoon at a time or one tanning session at a time~ WAKE UP and learn from those of us that are dying or the thousands per year that have already died.

learned2late of NC 9:12PM August 12, 2009

I work at a tanning salon and the media is talking about how tanning beds are just as bad as arsenic?! That was one of the worst things the news could compare tanning beds to. Arsenic can kill you instantly. If you go into a tanning bed you aren't going to die. I think the news needs to double check their information and correct a few points, because they are scaring people. I had a customer come in and she was talking about how she thinks she's going to die now, but I clarified the information and cleared everything up and now she is okay with tanning still.

Tan Employee of ND 5:30PM August 01, 2009

I work at a tanning salon and the media is talking about how tanning beds are just as bad as arsenic?! That was one of the worst things the news could compare tanning beds to. Arsenic can kill you instantly. If you go into a tanning bed you aren't going to die. I think the news needs to double check their information and correct a few points, because they are scaring people. I had a customer come in and she was talking about how she thinks she's going to die now, but I clarified the information and cleared everything up and now she is okay with tanning still.

Tan Employee of ND 5:30PM August 01, 2009

I think it's fair to say that tanning beds are hazardous. But there's also something to be said of each person's individual biology and genetic makeup. Some people are simply more succeptible to skin cancer than others. Clearly, frequenting a tanning salon will only increase the risk of those who are already in peril. You will always be able to find several instances of people who tragically acquired carcinoma as a result of using tanning beds just a few times and conversely, people who've spent the better part of their lives doing so & will never contract illness. There's really no way to predict who will come away from the tanning salon virtually unscathed (& if you read above, sometimes people do) and those who will be less lucky.
This new research really enforces what most people probably already knew: tanning beds increase your chance of getting cancer. Like cigarettes, they haven't been outlawed but we've been warned of their potential danger. I appreciate that we've been provided with that information but ultimately left to make the decisions ourselves.

Sandee of CA 2:24PM July 30, 2009

Well I won't dispute the pros and con's of tanning beds but I will say that tanning beds resolved my psoriasis problem for about $200. My dermatologist had me using creams that damaged my skin and nothing else. I still go to make sure it don't return. Highly recommend it to folks who need to get rid of psoriasis.Dan.

Dan Helvie of FL 6:53PM July 29, 2009

You cannot PROVE that tanning beds cause cancer, because it might be the food the person ate, or the weed killer the person uses, or the DEET they slather in, or the air they breathe where they live, or the water with pharmas in them, or blah..this is a shell game industries hope for and a problem that doctors wont stand up for....

gary gumbel of AZ 5:46PM July 29, 2009

Researchers have just discovered that The SUN is to blame for hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths every year. Doctors now say the sun is evil and deadly and the only way to save yourself is to take up a nocturnal existence and to use spf50+ at night because remember that moon is just covering for his homeboy the sun and shooting them death rays right back at us when the sun is working on frying humans on the other side of the world. Scientists have yet to discover a motive for it's plan to destroy human kind. It's reported that several spacecraft have actually been sent to consult the sun however the vehicles were destroyed by the suns intense raging heat. A sign that he is not willing to negotiate a peaceful existence of both himself and the human race. On the bright side, the suns powerful death rays provide warmth, allow for plants growth, and make white people less pasty and transparent.

Dr. William H. Cookie of CA 3:59PM July 29, 2009

Knowing the above sunbed to beach example, how often and for how long would allow yourself of your child to spend on that Long Island NY or Bermuda beach?
Not too long before you got thoughts of burning and skin cancer.
If this is the case why do indoor tanning and sunbed salons encourage unlimited monthly UV exposure packages to their clientele?
I would say its profit driven.
If you owned a tanning salon would you REALLY encourage your clients to only come 20x a year at $15 a session? That would be $300 in revenue for you per client and if you wanted a $300,000 revenue stream, the goal for most salons and thats conservative, you would need 1,000 steady clients.
With the utter saturation of indoor salons in the USA, approx. 28,000 with an additional 50,000 gyms and nail/hair salons offering a sunbed or two, thats 1,560 indoor tanning salons per state.
The reality is that mot salons have a steady client base of avid tanners of about 250 people. Using my math above that translates to $75,000 in revenue. It costs the average salon with 6 to 8 units about $6,000 per month to operate. They would have no profit. So instead they encourage the tanners to keep buying monthly packages and visit the sunbed more like 100 times per year and at $15 a pop 250 steady tanners you now have your $300,000 in revenue and your making a hell of a profit.
The bottom line is business and not true health concern for the general public. The ITA and Euro associations will continue to accuse the medical world of using "junk science" instead of truly acknowledging the fact that the sunbed operator is in it for the profit. If a few people have to die along the way so be it. That sure sounds like the tobacco mindset to me.

LDG of NY 3:56PM July 29, 2009

Our team o fscientists from NM published the potential harm o ftanning by showing the accelerated pace of disease progression in a model of AIDS in mice. Tanning beds and sunbathing are not natural phenomena for humans, maybe sunbathing is OK for reptiles.

Mel of AZ 3:26PM July 29, 2009