Tanning Beds Are Human Carcinogens: Report from the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer

Tanning beds cause skin and eye cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is a section of the World Health Organization whose mission is to develop strategies for cancer prevention and control. In June 2009, the agency convened a working group of 20 scientists to reassess the carcinogenicity of various sources of radiation. In the past, the IARC has found sufficient proof that solar radiation is a human carcinogen involved in the development of basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and melanoma. The current working group now finds unquestionable evidence that UV-emitting tanning devices cause melanoma of the skin and of the choroid and ciliary body of the eye. This determination is based on a comprehensive meta-analysis finding that risk for cutane…

Author

Craig A. Elmets, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Astellas Pharmaceuticals

EquityVaxin

Grant / Research support NIH; NIH/NCI; Veteran’s Administration; Ferndale Laboratories; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.

Editorial boards Cancer Prevention Research; Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, & Photomedicine; UpToDate; eMedicine; Journal of Dermatological Sciences; JAMA Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Vice Chair, Committee on Science and Research); Photomedicine Society (Board of Directors)