Tanning beds are the root of all evil.

I've said it before, I'm saying it again, and this time with backup.

Full article here

....Cancer Council Victoria's SunSmart program manager, Kylie Strong, said the ultra-violet light projected by solariums was up to five times as dangerous as Victoria's midday summer sun..... VICTORIA'S booming tanning industry could be subject to government control for the first time as concerns grow over the risks of frequent solarium use.....

.....The current (voluntary) code advises that children under 15 and those with fair skin should be prohibited from using sunbeds, and that parental permission for those under 18 should be obtained. It also recommends users sign a consent form outlining the risks.

The director of the Victorian Melanoma Service at The Alfred hospital, Associate Professor John Kelly, said he was seeing a number of skin cancers for which the argument was persuasive that they were caused by solariums. "It's probably a phenomenon of the last three or four years; before that I had never seen it," he said.

Associate Professor Kelly said he had seen three cases recently that he believed had been caused by solarium light. One involved a 20-year-old woman who had a melanoma in her groin, the other two women had breast melanomas.

"All of the women were partners of solarium owners … they used (a solarium) a hell of a lot and all of them in short order, within a couple of years of doing it, had got melanomas in previous never sun-exposed areas."......

.....research by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer which has shown that people who regularly use sunbeds before the age of 35 increase their risk of melanoma by as much as 75 per cent......

......The manager of Planet Sun Tanning Studio, who asked to be identified only as Tammy, agrees that some legislation is needed as long as it is "not over the top". She also believes solarium staff need to be properly trained.

"We have our own policy here but a lot of our customers come in and tell us how they've been thrown into hot beds when they have milky white skin and … it hasn't been done properly."

Tammy said tanning at a solarium was safe if it was done responsibly.

"It's really a controlled environment. We recommend using sunscreen and if there are suspicious spots we recommend they see a doctor before coming in and tanning."

SunLounge Port Melbourne's manager, Alfie Pezzi, said turning people off UV exposure was wrong.

He said there were medical benefits of vitamin D absorption through UV exposure.

Of course there are, but not THAT much Vitamin D. Clutching at straws methinks......