Indoor Tanning Association Fights Back Against Media Hype over Ta...( WASHINGTON July 29 -- The Indo...),Health

WASHINGTON, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Indoor Tanning Association will run a full-page ad in tomorrow's New York Post condemning the hype related to the recent categorization of tanning beds as a "Group 1" carcinogen.

"The Indoor Tanning Association will not stand by and allow some members of the media to unfairly malign our product and the thousands of small business owners who are our members, by grossly exaggerating the risks associated with tanning beds," said Indoor Tanning Association President, Dan Humiston.

"Because tanning beds produce the same UV light as the sun, OVEREXPOSURE and abuse of our product - just like OVEREXPOSURE to sunlight - is associated with an increased risk for some types of skin cancer. Other items in this category are red wine and salted fish. Scientific studies suggest that drinking red wine or other alcoholic beverages carries a greater cancer risk than tanning. It is completely irresponsible to compare indoor tanning with mustard gas or arsenic as so many media reports today have done."

The text of the ad reads:

Media reports comparing indoor tanning to toxins like mustard gas, cigarettes, and arsenic are outrageously overhyped. The same "group 1" category includes red wine, salted fish, and regular sunlight--so these sensational headlines are as absurd as saying "A glass of merlot is as deadly as mustard gas."

UV light from a tanning bed is the same as UV light from the sunshine, which has had the "group 1" classification since 1992. So it's no surprise that tanning beds have now been put in this category as it has long been understood that OVEREXPOSURE to UV light, whether from the sunshine or a tanning bed, is associated with increased risk of some forms of cancer. This is why the Indoor Tanning Association has always emphasized the importance of moderation.

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