The Canadian Cancer Society in British Columbia and the Yukon is pushing for a ban on teens using tanning salons.
The organization is leading the push for the ban less than a month after a National Sun Survey revealed that more than 40 per cent of young British Columbians don't use sunscreen.
"Children and youth usually have more exposure to the sun, and we know that any sun damage before the age of 18 greatly increases your risk of skin cancer," Sharon Storoschuck, the Canadian Cancer Society's manager of health promotions for B.C. and the Yukon, told CTV.ca
Storoschuck said their surveys show that about 25 per cent of Canadian females aged 16-24 use artificial tanning.
"We know that artificial tanning means unprotected exposure to UV radiation (and) that will increase that your risk to skin cancer," she said.
"We are just trying to help that vulnerable population make healthier choices."
Storoschuck said that a ban could "greatly impact the behaviours" of teenagers, the way that anti-smoking laws have.
The World Health Organization (WHO), has been outspoken in its belief that tanning beds should be banned to people who are under the age of 18.
Dr. David McLean, a UBC professor of dermatology, called a ban an "exceedingly good idea."
"Teens do not have the judgment to make decisions necessarily in their best interests," he told CTV.ca. "That is the reason we don't sell alcohol to teens and that's the reason we do not sell cigarettes to teens.
"Tanning salon use is definitely cancer causing, that is proven."
McLean said that while adults can make their own decisions about tanning beds for themselves, adults have a role in "protecting young people from making significant mistakes."
"It's socially the correct thing to do," he said of a ban.
Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, is the second most common cancer in people between the ages of 15-34.
Eight states in the U.S. and cities in Europe already have a ban in place but some tanning advocates say the move is drastic and unnecessary.
Tanning salon's disagree
Jaqueline Smith, a manager at Fabutan, a tanning salon franchise based in Burnaby, B.C., said a ban robs people of essential health benefits.
"We are more in the business because of the health benefits," she told CTV.ca. "We only use lie-down beds using low-pressure light bulbs which gives the proper dose of vitamin D."
Vitamin D is widely believed to have a number of health benefits, and has helped people suffering from depression.
Fabutan has also been strictly enforcing a policy since March 2007, under which anyone who looks under the age of 18 is carded.
The company's policies for teens are:
- Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to use the beds
- Teens under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent. That parent must also sign a consent form
- Teens under the age of 18 must have a parent sign a consent form
All customers are given information on safe tanning practices and must reveal their skin type to a Fabutan employee so that they can determine if tanning puts them at risk.
Smith said "a small percentage" of the store's clientele are teenagers.
"A ban takes the opportunity for vitamin D away," she said. "You receive 10,000 units of Vitamin D (through tanning). The maximum you can ingest orally is 800, which means you digest 40 to 60 per cent and pass the rest."
Fabutan is part of the International Smart Tan Network, an organization that promotes the health benefits of tanning.
Their beliefs are at odds not only with the Canadian Cancer Society but the Canadian Dermatology Association, which also agrees that sun tanning beds cause more harm than good.
Dr. McLean strongly disagreed with the assertion that tanning beds were a healthy way to get vitamin D.
"Taking oral vitamin D is the way to go, there are zero side effects and it's very inexpensive," he said.
Vitamin D can also be found in foods such as fish and eggs.
'Wrinkle parlors'
Exposure to UV rays, whether through artificial or natural light, may cause premature aging of the skin, cataracts, and skin cancer, studies show.
McLean said that the UV A, which tanning beds emit, is the main cause of wrinkling skin.
"Many dermatologists call them 'wrinkle parlors,'" he said of tanning salons. "The big droops around people's necks as they get older -- that's from ultra violet A many, many years earlier.
"Side effects show up 30, 40 years later from exposure in childhood."
