William Atkins
Friday, 11 April 2008 21:02
Science -
Health
Page 3 of 4
Because of dangers associated with solariums, many international organizations do not recommend their use.
For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend the use of UV tanning devices for cosmetic tanning purposes.
The
Mayo Clinic (United States) states, “
There is no safe tan. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation — whether from sunlight or tanning beds — damages your skin, increasing your risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. In fact, malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, has seen a sharp rise in recent years, perhaps due to the increased exposure to UV radiation from both the sun and tanning beds.”
Much of the regulations to solariums in Australia came about after the September 2007 death of 26-year-old skin cancer victim and anti-solarium advocate Clare Oliver in Melbourne.
Oliver was employed as a journalist by SBS television but was soon thereafter diagnosed with melanoma. She became an activist against the use of solariums after years of sunbathing and solarium use while growing up.
She died on September 13, 2007, just days after her twenty-sixth birthday.
Please read her article “
A Tan to Die For,” which appeared at News.com.au on August 23, 2007.
In the article “
Cancer campaigner Clare Oliver dies,” by The Age, Oliver’s mother stated,
“I think her legacy will be that we have a very strong message to send to all Australians about the risk of excessive sun exposure and about the risk of solariums."
Her doctor, Grant McArther, stated,
"This is a dangerous industry and they should be discouraging people from partaking in solarium use."
David Hill, a cancer advocate, stated in The Age article that the number of visits to solariums in Melbourne, Australia, has increased by five hundred percent over the past ten years.
The article “
Solarium ban for fair skin, minors”, in the Sydney Morning Herald, stated that representatives with the NSW government found that use of solariums in NSW was most frequently done by teenagers, with a rate of about 12 percent.
In another study, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research performed a scientific study that showed people under the age of thirty-five years who were regular users of solariums had a 98% increased risk of developing melanoma as compared to people who did not use solariums.
Louisa Gordon, an author of the Queensland study stated that artificial tanning is not safe. She is quoted to have said,
"The sunbeds can emit very strong levels of radiation, stronger than the midday sun in Brisbane.” [Sydney Morning Herald: “
Solarium ban for fair skin, minors”]
What is melanoma? Please read on.
