Thousands of news reports continue to suggest that “sun tanning is as dangerous as tobacco” because UV and cigarettes are both considered carcinogens. But the comparison is a blatant misrepresentation.

1. Smoker’s risk of lung cancer: 15 percent — or 2,000 percent higher than that of non-smokers. Smoking introduces up to 60 man-made known carcinogens into the body — substances the body was never designed to process. Smoking is related to 1 in 3 cancer deaths.
2. Tanner’s risk of melanoma: 0.3 percent — compared to 0.2 percent for non-tanners (a difference of 1 in 1,000) UV is natural and intended — the body needs ultraviolet light to survive. Simply calling it a carcinogen without that caveat is totally misleading.

One thing we know for certain: You would be dead today if you did not receive any ultraviolet light.