As I was doing my monthly research for this piece, I found an internet link worth noting. A question came to the auto section of the Chicago Tribune website. No, I was not looking for a deal on a new truck – my 2002 Chevy 1500 is running just fine, thank you. This was a question on UV, skin cancer … and sunroofs. The question (quite pragmatic, too) was about whether sun overexposure was a key link to skin cancer, and if so, why aren’t auto manufacturers required to place a warning on vehicles that have sunroofs?
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The question was shared with Dr. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, who stated: “There is evidence that suggests skin cancers can be related to long-term sun exposure through side glass windows in a car. Sunroofs generally offer more protection in order to decrease heat entering the car, so it is less likely that it had a role in a newly diagnosed cancer. Of course, an open sunroof or side window offers no protection whatsoever.
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“It is not possible to state with certainty whether any particular cancer is related to these types of exposures. Usually, skin cancers take decades to develop, so it is more likely that sun exposure during childhood is a more significant factor. And the damage caused by the sun accumulates over time, making it even more difficult to know with certainty which exposure or which type of exposure may have had an impact. Based on available information, however, sunroofs appear to be a less likely cause, but not impossible. Also, different manufacturers are now using glass with different abilities to decrease UVA and UVB exposure in automobiles, so that is another factor that needs to be considered.”
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Whoa, there! There are several nuggets in those statements. 1: if the good doctor states that skin cancer takes decades to develop, then how can certain doctors and health magazines indict indoor tanning as the reason for the claimed rise in skin cancer for younger women? 2: He states again that damage “accumulates over time,” another reason that trying to pin it on indoor tanning activity in younger women doesn’t parallel with the statement. Understand that for years, most of the health-related media has pointed at indoor tanning as the reason for an increase in skin cancer in young adults. Even the Skin Cancer Foundation explains the difference: “The sun exposure pattern believed to result in melanoma is that of brief, intense exposure – a blistering sunburn – rather than years of tanning.” In fact, the SCF goes even further to explain that there are other risk factors besides UV exposure. “Other risk factors are also associated with melanoma, such as a family history and having a large number of sizable moles on the body. Like nonmelanoma skin cancer, melanoma can arise on any area of the body, regardless of whether or not a sunburn occurred in that location.” When you consider that any overexposure or sunburn that results from your cranium being exposed through the open roof, the result will be an increased chance that it will play a role in future skin cancer. It’s amazing that there is no warning at all!
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Read more on this feature on UV exposure from sunroofs at: goo.gl/5DyWmX
Team IST searches for erroneous, suspect or negative reporting by the media that adversely impacts the tanning industry. Reports such as these have plagued tanning businesses for decades. Although the media sources will seldom admit a falsehood and print a retraction, IST offers these well-crafted responses to the negative reports that can be shared with your customers and potential customers, alike.
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