The Lehigh Valley's Charlie Dent, a Republican in the House, and Manhattan's Carolyn Maloney, his Democratic counterpart, are taking aim at Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, by proposing new legislation to tighten federal standards on tanning beds. Before you dismiss this as silly stuff, you should know that people who use them increase their risk of getting this fatal disease by 74 per cent. “Although Melanoma is often preventable, American families continue to lose loved ones to this destructive form of skin cancer,” said Rep. Dent in a news release. “While many Americans are aware of the dangers associated with Melanoma and take precautionary steps to prevent developing the disease, we must continue to educate the public about risks associated with too much exposure to UV light, especially from tanning beds. Our legislation ensures tanning bed standards are updated to minimize risk, and labels are positioned and worded to send a clear and prominent message about the real dangers associated with tanning.”
“Americans are aware of the dangers of smoking before they light up. It’s important they also know the risk of developing melanoma before they lie down,” Rep. Dent continued.
“Tanning beds are where cigarettes were in the 1950s: everyone knows they’re cancer-causing, and yet they are poorly regulated,” said Rep. Maloney. “Every year, almost 70,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed, and 8,700 Americans die of the disease. Since the World Health Organization has reclassified tanning devices as ‘carcinogenic to humans,’ it’s time for the FDA to reexamine its classification of the devices—and that’s what this bill requires—because doing so will help save lives.”
The World Health Organization classifies UV-emitting tanning devices right up there with tobacco, asbestos and uranium as a definite cause of cancer.
