BEZAN DENOUNCES TANNING BEDS IN HONOUR OF WORLD CANCER DAY
Ottawa, ON- In honour of World Cancer Day, James Bezan MP delivered a tough statement in the House of Commons on the hazards of artificial tanning equipment.
“Studies have shown that using tanning beds at a young age increases the risk of skin cancer by 75%,” stated Bezan. He continued by stating that “The World Health Organization has moved tanning beds to the highest cancer risk category: ‘Carcinogenic to humans.’”
MP Bezan used the opportunity to raise awareness for the alarming rate of Canadians who are diagnosed with skin cancer every year. Bezan provided the unsettling statistic that 5,500 Canadians are diagnosed with melanoma annually, and 950 will die from it and 74,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancers are expected annually of which 270 Canadians will die.
In December, Mr. Bezan tabled a Private Members Bill that tackles the health risks associated with tanning beds and their links to skin cancer. To build support for the legislation that imposes hard hitting restrictions on the tanning industry, Mr. Bezan took the opportunity to call on all Parliamentarians to support this important piece of legislation.
MP Bezan’s Private Members Bill (Bill C-386) will prohibit anyone under 18 years of age from using tanning beds. Furthermore, this piece of legislation requires that radiation warning labels on tanning beds explicitly state that tanning equipment can cause cancer and may be carcinogenic. In addition to having warning labels affixed to the tanning equipment this bill will require that large warning labels also be placed in all commercial establishment providing artificial tanning equipment.
Bezan also offered some words of advice for all those soaking up the sun on vacations this time of year.
“To escape the winter, many Canadians are heading south to sunny destinations. I urge them to protect their skin, their body’s biggest organ. Stay in the shade when you’re outdoors, cover-up and use sun screen” urged Bezan. “Many Canadians will also crawl into Tanning Beds to get their base tans. I cannot stress how harmful this equipment is.”
