RESEARCH - WHO: tanning beds cause cancer

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WHO: Tanning Beds Cause Cancer

Indoor Tanning Causes Melanoma, Report Shows

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

July 28, 2009 - A leading global cancer research group is declaring

tanning bed use a significant cancer hazard.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on

Cancer (IARC) announced today that it has moved UV tanning beds to its

highest cancer risk category -- " carcinogenic to humans. "

Prior to the move, the group had classified sun lamp and tanning bed

use as " probably carcinogenic to humans. "

In an interview with WebMD, the IARC’s Cogliano, PhD, called

the scientific evidence linking indoor tanning to the deadly skin

cancer melanoma “sufficient and compelling.”

A dramatic rise in melanoma, especially among young women, has been

seen in recent years.

Cogliano said studies conducted over the past decade provide an “an

abundance of evidence” that tanning bed use has played a role in this

rise, along with direct sun exposure.

“People mistakenly see a tan as a sign of health when it is actually a

sign of damage to the skin,” he says.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20090728/who-tanning-beds\

-cause-cancer

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