Group calls tanning beds 'carcinogenic to humans'

Internal Medicine News, Sept 15, 2009 by Jonathan Gardner

LONDON -- International health officials have declared UV-emitting tanning devices a human carcinogen after reviewing epidemiologic studies that indicate an association with cutaneous melanomas.

A working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer assigned ultraviolet ray-emitting tanning devices to their group 1 list of carcinogens, joining tobacco and tobacco smoke, asbestos, and human papillomaviruses.

The working group said that a meta-analysis of 20 epidemiologic studies has shown that use of tanning devices before age 30 years raises the risk of cutaneous melanomas by 75%. In addition, case-control studies indicate an increased risk of ocular melanoma when using these devices.

"Therefore, the Working Group raised the classification of the use of UV-emitting tanning devices to Group 1, "carcinogenic to humans," the report said (Lancet Oncology 2009;10:751-2).

"The link between sunbeds and skin cancer has been convincingly shown in a number of scientific studies now, and so we are very pleased that IARC have upgraded sunbeds to the highest risk category," Jessica Harris, health information officer with Cancer Research UK, said in a written statement.

"Given the dangers of sunbeds, we want to the government to act now to ban under-18s from using sunbeds, close salons that aren't supervised by trained staff, and ensure information about the risks of using sunbeds is given to all customers," she said.

Based on animal studies, exposure to ultraviolet radiation was also added to the group 1 list, and exposure to solar radiation was reaffirmed as carcinogenic, according to the authors of the report.

The working group also reaffirmed that internally deposited radionuclides that emit alpha or beta particles, such as radon, are group 1 carcinogenic agents. Humans can be exposed to radon through soil and building materials.

Also included in group 1 are x-rays, gamma radiation, phosphorus-32, radium-224, and a number of other radioactive materials involved in medicine or manufacturing.