Should we outlaw tanning beds for teens?
Tell us what you think about giving minors access to tanning beds, and copy our letter to send to your MP
Don’t think Ottawa is doing enough to protect Canadian teens from UVR exposure in tanning beds? Let your MP know that you don’t think voluntary guidelines go far enough to protect the health and well-being of our youth. Cut and paste this form letter into an e-mail or print it off and mail it (no postage is required for mailing to an MP on Parliament Hill). Find out who your MP is, and get their e-mail address, here. Plus, tell us what you think in the comments.
Your name
Address
Date
Name of your MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear (MP’s name):
The younger someone gets a first suntan or burn, the greater the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.
Ultraviolet radiation—whether from the sun or tanning lamps—damages the skin's DNA, which can cause genetic mutations that might lead to skin cancer. The deadliest form, melanoma, is the second most common cancer among Canadians age 15 to 34.
A survey by the Canadian Cancer Society found that 27 percent of females and eight percent of males age 16 to 24 used tanning equipment in 2006. Using tanning beds before age 35 can increase a person's risk of melanoma by an incredible 75 percent.
We don't let minors drink or smoke legally. Why are we allowing them to damage their health in tanning salons?
I am writing to call on Ottawa to take a strong, decisive stance on protecting the health and well-being of Canadian youth and to enact legislation that will ban under-18s from using tanning beds.
Sincerely,
Your name
canadian cancer website states the odds of getting and dying of skin cancer is 1:100,000 if you indoor tan your odds increase to 1.75:100,000 (thats an incredible 75 percent increase) seriously you are going to waste our government and MLA's time with these facts....besides minors can smoke under the age of 18....they just can't buy cigarettes until they are 18....minor can drink in the presence of a guardian (not illegal) but illegal to buy alcohol. This letter states false facts and should be removed from the web and any other literature.....tanning by minors should be allowed if given parental consent....same as smoking and alcohol
There are pro's and con's to everything. Are we going to stop teen's or adults from roasting themselves is the sun. There are pro's for moderate amounts of time in a tanning bed especially during the winter it does help produce Vitamin D more skin exposed the more vitamin D produced. Teaching are youth about overexposure to the potential harmful ray's and allow them to make some descions on there own. We have taken away people descion making at every turn,I guess we are no longer allowed to think for ourselves.
Where is the form letter to send your MP if you support tanning beds? I can't believe the one sidedness of this "news" story. Should we ban teens from the beach? If protecting the young was the priority I would start by protecting them from religion first and foremost.
Since tanning beds were elevated to a Group One carcinogen. According to the WHO this puts them in the same group as arsenic, red wine, sunlight and salted fish. I propose we ban all these things while we're at it.
Just like the warnings on cigarette packages all tanning salons should have to display clear stats and pictures of the risk factors involved from tanning instead of the current pictures of beautiful tanned bodies.
These tanning beds are known to cause cancer, no different than cigarettes, yes these should be against the law for minors. At a young age we think more about our appearance than our mortality. Kids need to know that looks aren't the end all be all.