Tanning beds are as carcinogenic as asbestos and tobacco, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined today. They elevated the risk from 'probably carcinogenic' to the highest cancer risk category--group 1--'carcinogenic to humans.'
But a little thing like that won't keep the powerful U.S. tanning bed industry from trumpeting the safety--even the health benefits--of lying down while powerful lights pummel your body with carcinogenic UV rays. "The UV light from a tanning bed is equivalent to UV light from the sun, which has had a group 1 classification since 1992," says Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association, which has "always emphasized the importance of moderation when it comes to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed."
Read more: A Sunny Coffin? Tanning Beds May Be as Carcinogenic as Tobacco
