UV
Radiation and Skin Cancer: The Science behind Age Restrictions for Tanning Beds
Every year,
millions of people climb in various states of undress into warm, glowing
tanning beds, where during a typical 2- to 15-minute session they’ll absorb a
controlled dose of ultraviolet (UV) radiation at an intensity up to two to
three times stronger than the sunlight striking the equator at noon. The
tanning industry has grown rapidly since the 1980s,1 rising to an estimated 28
million users in the United States.2 This rise has been accompanied by an
increase in diagnoses of skin cancer.
The reasons
behind the rising skin cancer diagnoses remain open to debate. Some experts
attribute the rise to more frequent skin cancer screening, whereas others blame
environmental and behavioral risk factors, particularly changes in UV exposure.
In this latter context, UV-emitting tanning beds—classified as carcinogenic to
humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)3—have come
under growing scrutiny.
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