The commission has asked the tanning industry to include warnings on tanning beds, sun lamps and other ultraviolet (UV) radiation devices, and to enforce maximum setting limits on such devices to decrease the intensity of UV rays.
The European Union has even considered legislation to help uphold the recommended measures. "We need to act rapidly in order to raise public awareness of the risks associated with sunbeds," says EU Public Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou. "I am concerned that indiscriminate use of these tanning devices for cosmetic purposes could lead to an increased incidence of skin cancers."
However, research has shown that the UV rays in sunlight play an important role in producing vitamin D in the body, which prevents and treats cancer, as well as improving cancer patients' survival rates. Breast cancer rates are slashed more than 50 percent through the therapeutic use of vitamin D.
In many EU countries, frequent inclement weather and extended winter seasons make getting adequate sunlight and vitamin D levels difficult, which has led to widespread vitamin D deficiency, resulting in rickets in adults and children. Because it is also difficult to get proper levels of vitamin D through oral supplementation, people living in such climates often turn to the UV rays offered by tanning beds, which help the skin produce the vitamin naturally when exposed in sensible doses.
The commission's report appears to ignore the widespread vitamin D deficiency and the ability of tanning beds to actually help improve health when used wisely.
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