The Chicago Tribune authored an editorial on Friday slamming indoor tanning but misstated facts in an attempt to dissuade readers from using indoor tanning equipment. “The use of tanning beds by people under age 30 is associated with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer,” the paper wrote. “Researchers cannot explain the rising incidence of the disease for any reason except the increased popularity of indoor tanning over the past two decades.”
In fact, independent researchers HAVE offered several reasons – in peer-reviewed journals – in the past 12 months, bolstering peer-reviewed explanations about melanoma’s complex relationship with UV that have been promoted for more than a decade.
On top of that, the Tribune’s main point — that those under 18 should be kept out of sunbed centers — will drive teenagers to unregulated home-garage sunbeds and back to the beaches and blacktops to get overexposed instead of non-burning exposure in regulated sunbed studios. We can supply PLENTY of evidence supporting this contention.
In 20 minutes we could have explained all of this and how dermatology industry lobbying groups have not told the whole story to editorial boards nationwide to the Tribune. But the Tribune elected simply to pen an editorial based on the talking points of anti-UV lobbying groups who are lobbying to provide UV to millions of teens themselves with their own sunbeds for cosmetic skin conditions at $85-$100 a session while making $6 indoor sunbed sessions illegal.
So here’s an open invitation to the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board: We’re willing to sit down with you and show you why your “researchers cannot explain” editorial was wrong and why you will WANT to change your position. We hope you return our call.