Tanning Bedlam
Can we prevent an epidemic of malignant melanoma?
Alan Blum, M.D., and Courtney Kaberbek
From the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society
Introduction: Targeting the Young
There is a melanoma epidemic among college-aged women being caused by tanning beds. Messages from health authorities are being ignored by these young women, and college newspapers help promote tanning beds by accepting advertisements from tanning salons.
The website Tanning Bedlam is being developed by the authors to counteract the melanoma epidemic currently developing among the college-age population.
The History of Indoor Tanning
Before the 20th century, a pale complexion was cultivated by the aristocracy to distinguish it from the common laborer in an agrarian society. But beginning in the late 18th century, the Industrial Revolution resulted in a shift from farming to manufacturing inside factories in dense urban settings. The lack of sun exposure was discovered to cause health problems, notably vitamin D deficiency that could result in the deforming bone disease, rickets. The artificial ultraviolet light lamp was invented and used to prevent vitamin D deficiency in children and factory workers alike.
Tanning became fashionable in the 1920’s. The first advertisement for a sunlamp is printed in Vogue magazine in 1923. In the 1930’s, General Electric ran an advertising campaign that claimed their sunlamps’ UV light-bulbs were “safe for the whole family”. However, lab rats exposed to these UV light-bulbs develop skin cancer tumors. By 1930, ultraviolet radiation is recognized as a carcinogen.
The History of Tanning Beds
Sun lamps were aggressively promoted by General Electric and Westinghouse throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1950’s, sunlamp advertisements targeting women shift their emphasis from a tan’s health benefits to its cosmetic benefits. Tanning beds are invented in 1979, and the first commercial tanning center is opened in Arkansas. In the present day, there are nearly 30 million tanning bed users annually and 19,000 tanning salons.
Indoor Tanning Legislation
Over 30 states have some form of legislation restricting the use of indoor tanning by minors. Vermont and California have banned minor under 18 from using tanning beds. Delaware, New Hampshire, and North Dakota ban minor under 14 from using tanning beds except in the case of a medical emergency.
A New Website
The website Tanning Bedlam is currently being developed as an educational tool for teenagers, young adults, and opinion leaders. The website will include an educational slideshow that takes the viewer step by step through the history, risks, and mass media coverage of indoor tanning, as well as links to other educational sites about tanning and tanning beds.
Tanning Beds, UV Rays, and Skin Cancer
Vitamin D is found in natural sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. The tanning bed industry promotes the benefits of tanning, such as Vitamin D. However, tanning beds are up to 12 times more intense than sunlight and cause quicker, deeper damage to skin. A tan is equivalent to skin damage and is caused by ultraviolet radiation.
There are two kinds of ultraviolet radiation: UVA and UVB radiation. UVA radiation causes premature skin aging and cancer. Tanning beds emit 12 times more UVA radiation than the sun. UVB radiation causes sunburns and DNA damage that leads to skin cancer. Contrary to the claims of the tanning bed industry, the beds emit UVB radiation. The UV radiation in tanning beds increases users’ risks for skin cancer, including melanoma.
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. There are over 9,400 deaths from melanoma predicted for 2013.
Tanning beds are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. This means that tanning beds have been proven to cause cancer in humans. Those who use tanning beds before 35 increase their melanoma risk by 75%. Despite this, nearly 70% of tanning salon users are Caucasian women aged 18-29. Research at the University of Melbourne found that three fourths of the melanoma cases in persons 18-29 they studied who had used a tanning bed were attributable to tanning beds.
Melanoma Risk Factors
- Light skin
- Family history
- Childhood sunburns
- Sensitive skin, including freckles
- Blue/green eyes
- Red/blonde hair
- Moles
Tanning Bed Risks
- Melanoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Burns
- Allergic reactions
- Immune suppression
- Injuries to skin/eyes
- Premature aging of skin
A Lethal Complacency
In spite of repeated internet searches, we were unable to identify a single college newspaper that has either banned advertisements for tanning bed salons or has published editorials urging students to avoid the use of tanning beds.
In spite of repeated internet searches, we were unable to identify a single college newspaper that has either banned advertisements for tanning bed salons or has published editorials urging students to avoid the use of tanning beds.
