The Attorney General of New York State has filed lawsuits against two chains of tanning salons. The suits allege that the chains have not told customers all the risks associated with the use of tanning beds and indoor tanning. The salons are accused of promoting tanning as being healthy, which it is not.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed suits against Portofino Spas and Total Tan, claiming that the chains had violated states laws that ban deceptive practices. The chains have statements on their websites and in their advertising that would make people think that tanning is safe. The chains also claim that since exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D production, that tanning reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Schneiderman says that Portofino Spas has statements on its website denying that there is a link between tanning and cancer. The statements cast doubt on the well-established links that health experts have reported for years. The chain also does not have signs posted that warn clients about the risk of developing cancer. The attorney general's office notes that Total Tan made similar claims. A lawyer for Total Tan says that its claims are not misleading.
Exposure to ultraviolet light, either from the sun or from tanning lights, can cause several types of skin cancer, including melanoma. A study published in JAMA Dermatology in 2014 found that indoor tanning causes more than 10,000 cases of melanoma each year in the United States, Europe, and Australia, and 450,000 cases of other types of skin cancer in those countries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not pulling its punches on the risks of indoor tanning. Tanning of any kind also prematurely ages the skin. "Indoor tanning exposes users to two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB, which damage the skin and can lead to cancer," according to the CDC website.
