FW: All is not quiet on the Canadian tanning bed front

["Eric Cowdrey" <ericc@cancercare.mb.ca>]

Subscribers to this mailing list may be interested in a Winnipeg Free Press
front page story on November 17, 1999.

One young lady is taking a local tanning salon operator to court over
alleged injuries received as a client of the salon.  The lady, who has very
fair skin and blond hair, reports that a serious sunburn appeared after a
20-minute session in a tanning bed.  A graphic photo of the injury appears
in the newspaper. The salon operator disputes the claim. The claimant's
lawyers, who report finding no similar case law during their research,
believe the case to be the first of its kind in Manitoba.

For information, in the March 1999 issue of their publication "Dermatology
World", the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)reprints their Position
Statement on Indoor Tanning, a Statement which opposes the practice and
supports a ban on the production and sale of indoor tanning equipment for
non-medical purposes. The Statement continues with several additional
requirements for indoor tanning facilities; these requirements would
continue unless and until the FDA bans the sale and use of tanning equipment
for non-medical purposes. The first requirement is that all tanning devices
be inspected regularly for defects by local or state public health
departments.

Another item of potential interest appears in the October 1999 issue of the
Health Physics Journal*.  U. Wester et al of the Swedish Radiation
Protection Institute submit an analyis demonstrating that, over the course
of a year, exposure to ultraviolet radiation in tanning beds can easily
rival that received annually form the sun for some population groups (like
young people).

Some Swedish health authorities have taken a strong stand against the use of
tanning beds.  One epidemiological study showing an increased risk of
melanoma among tanning bed users (who use tanning beds 10 or more times per
year) was done in Sweden, and the country has regulations applying to
tanning facilities and equipment.  In addition, some members of the Swedish
Radiation Protection Institute have advised against the practice of
artificial tanning. The Institute has a good English language web site with
articles dealing with ultraviolet radiation (and numerous other radiation
protection items):

http://www.ssi.se/english/index.html

* U. Wester, C. Boldemann, B. Jansson, H. Ullen, "Population UV-Dose and
Skin Area - Do Sunbeds Rival the Sun?", Health Physics, Volume 77, Number 4,
page 436.


**************************************************************

Eric Cowdrey
Radiation Protection Officer
Department of Medical Physics
CancerCare Manitoba
100 Olivia Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba    R3E 0V9
CANADA

Tel (204) 787-2166
Fax (204) 775-1684
e-mail ericc@cancercare.mb.ca

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