{"id":1062,"date":"2008-08-07T03:59:29","date_gmt":"2008-08-07T07:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/"},"modified":"2008-08-07T03:59:29","modified_gmt":"2008-08-07T07:59:29","slug":"st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer.<\/p>\n

\"2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.jpg\"<\/a>\u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said.<\/p>\n

To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the text of Levy’s full response:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live.<\/p>\n

Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n

Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient.<\/p>\n

A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 – 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D.<\/p>\n

It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short.<\/p>\n

Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year – which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day – even in your makeup – and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation.<\/p>\n

The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda.<\/p>\n

For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org.<\/p>\n

For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSt. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b\"},\"headline\":\"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":698,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2008\\\/08\\\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/\",\"name\":\"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2008\\\/08\\\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\\\/\\\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\\\/\\\/www.TanningTruth.com.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2008\\\/08\\\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2008\\\/08\\\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smarttan.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":164,\"caption\":\"Smart Tan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SmartTan\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SmartTan\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b\",\"name\":\"smarttan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"smarttan\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.smarttan.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/smarttan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News","description":"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News","og_description":"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/","og_site_name":"Smart Tan News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","article_published_time":"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"smarttan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SmartTan","twitter_site":"@SmartTan","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"smarttan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/"},"author":{"name":"smarttan","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b"},"headline":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column","datePublished":"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/"},"wordCount":698,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/","name":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column - Smart Tan News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg","datePublished":"2008-08-07T07:59:29+00:00","description":"St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health Reporter Harry Jackson Jr. produced an entire column on the fact that an un-named tanning bed user challenged him to produce one piece of research that showed the mechanism by which tanning causes cancer. \u201cHe said there\u2019s a $10,000 reward for anyone who can prove that tanning beds cause skin cancer,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThis is my rub: It irks me when public people make statements that depend on the public not knowing the facts. So let\u2019s clear this up: No one has proven that tanning beds cause cancer. In fact, no one knows definitively what causes any cancer.\u201d Jackson continued, \u201cThe term, \u2018causes\u2019 cancer is misnomer for both sides of the cancer aisle. Doctors who define what is a cause, instead, identify a set of conditions including genetics, environment, lifestyle and other factors. When researchers find combinations of conditions, and statistics show that under those conditions, more cancer appears than among people who don\u2019t face those conditions, then, people are considered at higher risk. When the factors result in cancer so regularly that it\u2019s a given \u2014 for example, nearly all of the firefighters who fought the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl came down with or have died of cancer \u2014 scientists feel safe calling the conditions a \u2018cause.\u2019 But they can\u2019t say how.\u201d He concluded, \u201cSo the scientific information shouldn\u2019t say tanning beds cause cancer. But science needs to keep the word out that people who use tanning beds face a higher risk of developing skin cancer than people who don\u2019t.\u201d The problem with Jackson\u2019s logic: \u201cHe\u2019s essentially saying that the end justifies the means \u2013 that it doesn\u2019t matter whether or not there is scientific proof. When journalists stop seeking proof for material they write, that\u2019s when society is really in trouble.\u201d The other major error in Jackson\u2019s logic: comparing UV light, which is natural and which humans need to survive, to nuclear radiation emitted from the Chernobyl meltdown. \u201cThat comparison insults our intelligence,\u201d Levy said. To read Jackson\u2019s column and Levy\u2019s response click here. Here's the text of Levy's full response: Tanning is not an addiction: UV light is an attraction. Just like humans are attracted to food, water and air, we are attracted to sunlight. We need it to live. Consider this: Saying that UV light is harmful, and therefore people should not tan, is akin to saying that exercise \u201cdamages\u201d muscles, and therefore people should not exercise. To call UV exposure \u201cdamage\u201d is to use a micro-definition of a macro-phenomena: It just isn\u2019t true. Consider this: UV exposure is the body\u2019s natural and intended way to manufacture vitamin D. And we now know that no less than 60 percent of Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. A suntan gained in a non-burning fashion will make 10,000 - 25,000 IU of vitamin D the natural way. In comparison, a glass of whole milk contains just 100 IU of vitamin D. It now appears that people need thousands of IU of vitamin D daily to get to natural vitamin D levels. There\u2019s no other way to get there without UV light \u2014 diet and supplements fall way short. Now consider that the $35 billion cosmeceutical industry has made record profits telling you to wear sunscreen 365 days a year - which is totally unnecessary most of the year in St. Louis. Instead of marketing sunscreen as a product to prevent sunburn on days when sunburn is possible, they\u2019re telling you to wear it every day - even in your makeup - and they\u2019re profiting from this misinformation. The indoor tanning community does a better job teaching sunburn prevention than those who sell and market sunscreen products with over-the-top sun scare messaging. That\u2019s the story you should be telling here. Instead you\u2019re falling into \u201csun scare\u201d propaganda. For more information on vitamin D, visit the independent Vitamin D Council\u2019s web site: http:\/\/www.VitaminDcouncil.org. For more information on the professional tanning community\u2019s scientifically supported positions read the reports at http:\/\/www.TanningTruth.com.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/2008-08-06-meltdown-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/st-louis-health-reporter-takes-sun-scare-rhetoric-to-nuclear-levels-in-his-column\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"St. Louis health reporter takes sun scare rhetoric to nuclear levels in his column"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","name":"Smart Tan News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization","name":"Smart Tan","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","width":500,"height":164,"caption":"Smart Tan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b","name":"smarttan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"smarttan"},"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}