A tan is so not to die for

New York Times Upfront, Feb 5, 2007

The unexplained increase in skin cancer among young people has health officials targeting the $5-billion-a-year indoor tanning industry. More than 2 million teenagers a year use tanning salons. But the American Medical. Association and the American Academy of Dermatology say that tanning beds are hazardous, and 19 states have passed laws restricting access to tanning salons for those under 18. There is strong evidence that ultraviolet radiation, whether from sunlight or sun lamps, causes melanoma and other forms of skin cancer.

The U.S. tanning industry claims that 30 million people a year safely use tanning salons. But James M. Spencer, professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School. of Medicine in New York, says that indoor tanning "will cause cancer. Not maybe. Not might. It's going to cause cancer."