Doctors want to ban tanning beds, kids’ Jersey Shore dreams die

Doctors want to ban tanning beds, kids’ Jersey Shore dreams die

(Image: MTV)

The province’s doctors want to take the “T” out of GTL for kids under 18 because—surprise, surprise—tanning beds can cause skin cancer. The Ontario Medical Association is battling claims made by the tanning industry that the beds are safer than being exposed to the sun. “Tanning beds are not safe. The exact same ultraviolet rays that cause damage and lead to skin cancer from the sun are there when you lie down on a tanning bed,” OMA president Suzanne Strasberg tells the Globe.

An executive director of the Joint Canadian Tanning Association says that kids and teens make up less than 10 per cent of the market, though he admits it gets busy during prom season. He suggests parental consent for those 16 and under and that salon operators control the tanning times rather than the clients.

News of this couldn’t come at a worse time for TV star wannabes: Jersey Shore is currently looking for its next cast. Don’t worry, a spray tan will give an equally unnatural orange glow.

Tanning salon ban for teens, doctors urge [Globe and Mail]
Jersey Shore Casting [MTV]