Nora Younger Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 September 14, 2013 Fast Draft: Would You Rather

Be Dangerously Tan or Freakishly Pale? Have you ever wondered why and how a person is so tan during the cold and dark winter months? Thanks to indoor tanning, also known as a tanning bed, a deep and dark tan can be acquired by tanning indoors on a regular basis. Tanning beds are available for use year round, making it easy for consumers to tan whenever they are in need of a darker complexion. Even though indoor tanning is very convenient for consumers, there are multiple risks, both minor and extreme, that one must take in order to receive their desired tan. From the moment the tanning bed turns on, the bed is emitting ultraviolent A (UVA) and ultraviolent B (UVB) radiation waves and the users skin cells are absorbing them. UVA is a long-wave ray that penetrates the skin the deepest, it is known as the dominant tanning ray due to the fact that it damages the skins DNA. The skin cells react to the ray by darkening the skin to prevent further cell damage. There are two different types of UVA rays, also known as UVA I and UVA II. UVA I penetrates 340-400 nanometers into the skin and UVA II penetrated 320-340 nanometers into the skin. The second type of UV ray is UVB, which is a shortwave ray. UVB rays are the cause of skin redness and sunburn due to damages to the top layer of the skin, which is also known as the epidermis. The third type of UV ray is UVC, however, this ray does not reach earth because it is absorbed by the ozone layer. Absorbing UV rays cannot be avoided due to

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the fact that the sun emits UV rays constantly. Whether you are going to get your mail or driving your car, UV rays constantly surround you. However, depending on what type of tanning bed is being used, the dosage of UV rays emitted is equivalent to twelve times the amount of the sun (www.skincancer.org). Even though consumers are constantly being exposed to UV rays from the sun, laws have been implemented to protect teenagers and children from UV rays that are emitted by tanning beds. In North Carolina, anyone fifteen or older can use a tanning bed. However, if a teenager is over the age of fifteen but is younger than eighteen, a parent or legal guardian must sign a contract stating that they are allowing their child to use a tanning bed. Not only are there rules and limitations for minors, but also there are laws that must be followed by all consumers who tan in a tanning bed and tanning salon employees. In North Carolina, it is illegal for a consumer to use a tanning bed without using eye protection. If the consumer does not own eye protection, the tanning salon must be able to sell or loan eyewear to the consumer. If eyewear cannot be provided, then the tanning salon must deny the consumer service. Also, it is illegal for tanning salons to allow consumers to be in a tanning bed longer than the maximum exposure time. Because each tanning bed is different, manufacturers have to post the maximum exposure time on the tanning bed, which is determined by the strength of the tanning bed (www.ncsl.org). Even with the laws that have been implement to protect consumers from the harmful UV rays, the government cannot truly protect users who use tanning beds. The only way to protect consumers from large amounts of UV radiation is to simply not use a tanning bed. Before anyone can use a tanning bed, they are required to sign a waiver stating that they are aware of the risks of tanning. Risks of tanning in a tanning bed

include skin cancer, eye damage, and premature skin aging (www.fda.gov) . According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization, UV rays have been identified as a human carcinogen. A human carcinogen is any substance that is directly involved in causing cancer. Scientists have concluded that first exposure to tanning beds in youth, and before the age of 35, increases the likelihood of getting melanoma by seventy-five percent. (www.fda.gov) Also, UV radiation is considered to be the main cause of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), which includes basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These types of cancers affect more than two hundred and fifty thousand Americans a year. Studies show that melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, primarily effect fair skinned people and kill more than eight-thousand Americans a year (www.skincancer.org). In regards to negative effects on the eyes, the International Agency for Research of Cancer (IARC) have linked the UV rays emitted in tanning beds to cancer in the eye, also known as ocular melanoma. The most common type of ocular melanoma is called uveal melanoma that affects the choroid, ciliary body, and iris. This is a type of cancer that develops from cells called melanocytes located within the eye producing melanin. When the melanocytes are exposed to the UV rays, they produce melanin, which is dark colored pigment that the skin produces as well. The choroid, ciliary body, and iris are all colored by melanin, but when they are overexposed to UV rays, they produce excess melanin which results in dark discoloration, an eye tumor, visible in the iris (www.macmillian.org.uk). That is why it is important to wear eyewear while in a tanning bed. Eyewear will not eliminate the ability for UV rays to reach the eyes of the consumer,

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but it does lessen the amount of UV rays that actually reach the eye. In a way, it can be referred to as a type of sunblock for the eyes. Premature skin aging is also a risk and result of tanning in a tanning bed. Tanning in a tanning bed, especially excessive tanning, causes skin to lose elasticity because of the skin cell damage. When skin loses elasticity, it begins to wrinkle and will eventually present a leathery look. Wrinkles may not show up immediately, and it has been proven that wrinkles and skin discoloration appears several years after a burn or tan. There is no safe way to tan, because tanning is essentially damaging your skin, whether it is indoor or outdoor. Overall, one tan or burn can determine how your skin looks for the rest of your life and extreme exposure from tanning beds should be avoided at all costs (www.fda.gov). Indoor tanning does not only effect users physically, it also effects users psychologically. Scientists have concluded that tanning has become addicted. According to a study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, users who tanned frequently were evaluated by a brain scan. The brain scans displayed results of patterns that were similar to the patterns of people who have a drug addiction. According to those results, it has been proven that when the UV lights in a tanning bed light up, certain parts of the brain that are associated with reward become more active. Another set of participates who tanned regularly, at least three times a week, were injected with radioisotope which allows scientists to measure brain activity. When the bulbs of the tanning bed lit up, so did parts of the brain that are associated with addiction. Altogether, there is a correlation between indoor tanning and becoming addicted to UV rays (www.nydailynews.com).

Even though all of the information stated throughout this paper is backed up by science, there are still people who claim that tanning in a tanning bed is actually good for consumers. Some advocates of tanning devices may argue that tanning is a tanning bed is safer than tanning outside. Their argument consists of comparing how the amount of UV radiation while in a tanning bed is limited and can be controlled, however they do not acknowledge that the intensity of the UV rays are much greater than the sun. Think of it this way, when you are outside tanning it may take two hours to get one skin tone darker but when you are in a tanning bed, it only takes two minutes to get the same tan. How could that be healthy? Doesnt it sound too good to be true? (www.fda.gov) Another argument that is presented is that UV ray exposure is a good source of vitamin D. One tanning bed company advertised that the sun was the only source of vitamin D. This statement is untrue, vitamin D can be found in several foods such as fish, cereal, and dairy products. The amount of vitamin D needed on a daily basis is far less than the amount that a tanning bed releases Therefore, tanning is supplying the body with an excessive amount of vitamin D (www.vanderbilt.edu). Altogether, indoor tanning should be avoided at all costs. Ultraviolent rays negatively impact the body in multiple extreme ways. Users who use tanning beds frequently need to realize that their beauty is not worth all of the health risks. It is better to be pale and live a healthy life then it is to be tan and put your health in danger. From my personal experience, I was a strong believer in tanning beds. I believed that I did not have enough time to lie outside for several hours to obtain the perfect completion. I believed that the tanning bed was saving me time and effort. But little did I know that I was putting my current and future health in major danger.