Many don't heed tanning-bed warnings

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- In preparation for holiday events and warm-weather getaways, almost 1 million U.S. adults visit a tanning salon each day, despite the health risks.

"Indoor tanning is an unnecessary activity. While it produces a temporary cosmetic effect, it can cause long-term health problems," said dermatologist Dr. Arielle N.B. Kauvar of the New York University School of Medicine. "Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation is the most preventable cause of skin cancer."

Since 2002 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared UV radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, as a known carcinogen.

More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States, with some 112,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed.

Despite this evidence, the indoor-tanning industry claims that indoor tanning can be beneficial to your health and suggest that vitamin D may help a person reduce his or her risk for cancer and other diseases.

"Because vitamin D can be produced through exposure to UV light, some people may think that they have to have exposure to the sun or a tanning lamp to produce optimal amounts of the nutrient," Kauvar said. "But there are safe ways to get vitamin D each day -- drinking a couple of glasses of vitamin D-fortified milk or orange juice, eating salmon or mackerel and other foods rich in vitamin D, or taking a supplement -- that do not pose a health risk like tanning does."

 Related Images
 Related Polls
 Related Trivia
 Celebrity Gossip

Dr, New, York, University, School,
Medicine, US, INDOORTANNING, BRIEFING, tw top,
tw health misc, Technology and Computers,