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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Contrary to the claims that tanning beds are safe alternatives to the sun, a new study finds there may be no such thing as a safe tan.
When researchers examined the effects on skin of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, including that from indoor tanning beds, they found that UV radiation caused DNA damage, photoaging (damage to the skin from chronic exposure to sunlight) and skin cancer.
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The studys authors noted that both tanning and skin cancer seem to begin with the same event -- DNA damage caused by UV exposure. That led them to suggest that a safe tan is physically impossible.
The study calls for a ban on teens using tanning beds and publicity that claims tanning bed are safe.
[Ultraviolet radiation] exposure represents one of the most avoidable causes of cancer risk and mortality in man, the authors concluded. Efforts to confuse the public, particularly for purposes of economic gain by the indoor tanning industry should be vigorously combated for the public health.
SOURCE: Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, October 2008
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