What You Should Know About Indoor UV Tanning
The Indoor Tanning Association is lying to you and to tanning salon operators
about the risks of indoor tanning. They want you to believe that "responsible" indoor
UV tanning is safe, that there is no compelling evidence that UV radiation from tanning
beds causes melanoma and other skin cancers, that getting a base tan protects you from
subsequent sunburn, and that indoor UV tanning may even protect you from cancer by
generating Vitamin D. The absurd claims of the five billion dollar per year UV tanning
industry of today and the tobacco industry of 30 to 40 years ago are frighteningly similar.

UVB radiation from tanning beds and tanning booths has about the same intensity
as that of the sun. UVA radiation from tanning beds and tanning booths is 10 to
13 times more intense than that of the sun.

A 2007 Australian study found an overall increased melanoma risk of 22 to 36
percent among individuals who had used a tanning bed.

A 1994 Swedish study published in American Journal of Epidemiology found that
tanning bed users under age 30 who tanned 10 times or more per year multiplied
their lifetime risk of melanoma by nearly eight.

Using a tanning bed to reduce the risk of sunburn before going to a sunny climate
is ineffective. A tan provides protection equivalent to a sunscreen with an SPF of
2 to 3, not nearly enough to prevent sunburn.

UV exposure is not required to provide an adequate amount of Vitamin D. The
Vitamin D found in supplements is the same as the Vitamin D generated by
exposure to sunlight. Supplements are just as effective as sunlight for those who
are deficient in Vitamin D.
WHO SAYS UV RADIATION FROM
TANNING LAMPS CAUSES SKIN CANCER?
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
American Cancer Society (ACS)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Toxicology Program (NTP)
Skin Cancer Foundation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
World Health Organization (WHO)
…and many other organizations.