Dangerous sunshine; Program teaches students about risks of tanning

[Editor-in-Chief]

Dangerous sunshine; Program teaches students about risks of tanning

BARBARA-ANN MacEACHERN
Local News - Wednesday, May 02, 2007 @ 00:00

While visiting local high schools with a Sun Safety display, Judy Brethour said she was surprised at the apathy and misinformation young people have regarding tanning activities.

Brethour, a public health nurse at the Peterborough County-City Health Unit, said most people are not making the connection that ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen to people.

Spreading information about the risks of tanning, and more specifically, artificial tanning, is a hard sell, she said.

"We're fighting an uphill battle with a small budget against the large marketing budgets of tanning salons," Brethour said.

"The tanning industry will take a tiny piece of information, twist it and use it for their benefit."

One example is the idea that artificial tanning beds are a safe way to produce vitamin D in the skin, Brethour said.

Given the potential negative effects of tanning beds, like the increased risk of skin cancer, and the fact that the appropriate level of vitamin D production can be obtained in just a few minutes a day of natural sun exposure, vitamin supplements or even diet, all make the vitamin D argument from tanning salons misleading, Brethour said.

Natalie Jones, 18, said she goes to artificial tanning beds twice a week because she "likes the way it looks."

She also gave the reason that she builds a base tan so she won't burn when she tans in sunlight later.

But a fact sheet the health unit hands out at high schools states ultraviolet radiation exposure, on top of an existing tan, only accumulates skin damage.

Infrequent tanning bed user Sara Wood, 18, was unaware that artificial tanning can be worse then tanning in sunlight.

"I thought because it is controlled, it was better than sun tanning," she said.

After being told that artificial tanning beds can emit up to five times the ultraviolet radiation as the sun at its hottest, Wood was surprised.

As to whether or not she would use a tanning bed again, she replied,"I would think twice."

Anita Record, unit manager of the Peterborough and District Cancer Society, said she can't believe the myth that tanning is beautiful and healthy is still out there in our society, being ingrained into the heads of children.

"I sometimes shake my head that young people still think tanning is beautiful - it breaks my heart," she said.

The Peterborough chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society is advocating knowledge and prevention of skin cancer, the most common form of cancer diagnosed in Canada, due to ultraviolet exposure, in several ways.

Record said her organization is recruiting youth leadership volunteers to be part of a team to spread the word to local youths. Such volunteers will be in place by September to target high schools in the fall, she said.

Last November, members of the public issues committee of the Ontario division of the Cancer Society along with local trained staff, went to Queen's Park to push legislation that would ban youths under the age of 18 from using tanning beds, Record said.

Peterborough chapter representatives are meeting this week, for the second time, with Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal to seek his support for the same legislation, she said.

Record is optimistic about the meeting, saying Leal has always supported the Canadian Cancer Society and was helpful in getting the local public smoking ban put in place.

While no local statistics are available, Brethour said she is confident that local rates of youth tanning are consistent with the 65 per cent rate cited in an Ontario study released by the Canadian Cancer Society this week for Cancer Prevention Week.

"We know that tanning is really popular with young girls and women," Brethour said, pointing out that Peterborough has at least 14 tanning salons.

"It is definitely a concern for the health unit."

The irony of young people flocking to a vanity driven industry to look better, and ending up exposing themselves to premature aging is not lost on her, Brethour said.

"Contrary to what the artificial tanning industry is leading you to believe - there are no positive effects of artificial tanning," she said.
Both the Peterborough branch of the cancer society and the health unit encourage tanners to do some research and be informed about the potential risks of tanning. As the health unit's youth pamphlet urges: "Learn the facts before you fry."

Barbara-Ann MacEachern, a journalism student at Loyalist College, recently completed an internship at The Examiner.

Source

[nebtans]

Too bad they do not tell the kids how bad sitting on their ass reading myspace is. Any info about childhood obesity and how it contributes to cancer? Any infor about sitting on their ass developing hemorrhoids by age 15? And colon cancer due to increased colon pressure because the kids do not move their bodies enough to move food throught their bodies?

And really too bad they do not tell kids that getting sunshine on their skin helps their imune systems. All this crap comes from the FDA which is now in my opinion our governments system of population control.

I now fully believe that the FDA has an agenda to toxify us and to create cancer and other life threatening illnesses in record numbers. Possibly due to greed, but there seems to be a more sinister motive for the attacks on public health.

I was raised by an older generation, before all the health scare tactics. Not that I am so much older, But I was raised in a rural area by my grandparents... I learned the way farm people stay healthy without doctors.

Whenever, I came home with sniffles, r sinus.. I was not rushed off to get a nebulizer or antibiotics... My Mom had the BEST prescription for me.

She said go outside and get some sun! usually there was a chore attached to it like clean out the cows stalls or repair fences or whatever, but the main thing was the SUN! I was hardly ever ever sick! And today as an adult I have a very strong immune system.

What I see today are parents who rush their child to doc for nebulizers and antibiotics at the slightest hint of anything... They never give the childs immune system a chance.

As for my own children.... Their mother suffered from sever munchausen Syndrome (She took my kids to doc for every scratch, sneeze, etc.. ) In 18 months she took my kids in for 290 confirmed doc visits!

I have had custody of them for over 12 years now. In 12 years I have had to take my kids to doc 3 times total! They have grown up as healthy adults without the docs! MY prescription was the same... Get off your butt and get outside for some sun!

Three kids.. 12 years.. less than a dozen total sick days from school. The SUN works to heal and build immune system response!

[Will]

See JCTA response that was publishd in the newspaper !

http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/s...0health%20unit

[Luongo=Cup]

Great response letter! It's unfortunate that many people probably just read the original story and will never see the response.

Steve Gilroy is doing great things for the tanning industry in Canada and his efforts are making a difference in Ontario where some health units are "playing dirty" using outright lies to spread the sunscare message.

During my time working with Steve at the JCTA I have been impressed with the amount of time and effort he puts into supporting this industry even though he is no longer involved as a salon owner.

If you are not a JCTA member then get to www.tancanada.org and sign-up!

When the time comes (and it eventually will)that you need someone on your side when teen tanning becomes an issue in your jurisdiction or the local health unit is spreading lies the JCTA will be ready to help.

However, the JCTA will only be able to fight for this industry if Canadian salon owners and suppliers get onboard and support the association.

[lewdyju]

An actual educated tanner tanning in moderation and then told what she is doing is wrong, unbelievable!

[Will]

Sorry, it looks like the response that I posted was in fact a JCTA response to another article in a different city. From what I can gather, JCTA has also responded to this article though.

[effective]

Unfortunately this situation is like so many others. A classic case of "he said this & she said that", but somewhere in the middle is the truth. Like so many issues in our society, the truth is hard to find.

[Mr Sun]

It's funny you never see or hear of anti computer articles. When I was a youngster we were outside all day running around burning calories by the thousands. Todays kids come home from school spend 2-3 hours on the computer and then the last few hours playing video games. The fact that their 180 pounds at age 7 is directly linked to their lack of activity because their glued to their computer screen. I don't see the government going crazy on the corperations that make the computers because this does not take money out of their pockets. Promote tanning and there is no more make-up & derms just to name a couple. A direct hit to the governments pockets.