As temperatures begin to drop and clouds roll in, most Tufts students reach for their sweaters and scarves, covering up the pale skin that the winter months usher in. But in spite of years of research linking ultraviolet radiation tanning beds to melanoma and other severe skin cancers, some universities are promoting tanning salons for students seeking a summer glow.
Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus allows students to pay for tanning appointments in local salons with their university account cards and even organizes student discount deals with several of the tanning companies. Other schools, like Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, go one step further and house tanning beds on university grounds.
Proponents of Wright State's campus-backed enterprise argue that tanning is not illegal and that students, as educated individuals, should be free to make their own informed decisions.
"When I have [the students] fill out the consent forms, I bluntly tell them the risks involved with tanning," said Kent Wardecke, owner of Wright State's on-campus Wright Image Salon. "Whether they're completely 'tanorexic,' I don't know, but we have protective guidelines, and there are four other tanning salons nearby so if it's not conducted here, it's conducted somewhere else." Kayla Parenteau of Xtreme Tanning Salon in Davis Square, which is frequented by Tufts students, is of the same opinion. "We give all our customers a full tour and go over all the risks," she said. "They are very aware of all the dangers when they walk in the door."
Xtreme does not currently have any contract with Tufts, Parenteau said, but they do advertise to the student body and attract Tufts students simply by virtue of their proximity to campus. If offered a deal with the university point system, Parenteau said that the salon would accept without moral reservation.
"If students want to go tanning, they should be allowed to go tanning. If they go moderately, like we suggest, it shouldn't be a problem," she said. But many students, worried parents, and cancer awareness groups are outraged by the tolerance given to the potentially hazardous trend. Many have said that tanning endorsements have no place on campus and that the practice is at odds with fundamental objectives of an educational institution. "If a university is going to promote going to the gym and keeping a healthy diet then they're being counterproductive by offering unhealthy and addicting habits like fake tanning," freshman Joanna Sebik said. In equal amazement were Health Service associates at both OSU and Wright State, who were surprised to hear of the university-salon collaborations and, needless to say, were not pleased.
Their fears are far from hypochondriacal: The American Cancer Society (ACS), which works to combat cancer as a major health crisis, released an article by Dr. Len Lichtenfeld this year warning of the causal relationship between ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer development. According to Kate Fremont-Smith of the Brockton, Mass. chapter of ACS, skin cancer is one of the most common cancer malignancies in the United States and melanoma, the rarest of the skin cancers, is estimated to afflict 62,480 and expected to kill over 8,000 newly diagnosed patients in the year 2008 alone. Still, despite conventional counsel against sun exposure, some believe that radiation in small doses as a source of vitamin D can be healthy. According to Jim Shepherd, president of the pro-radiation UV Foundation, there is a vitamin D deficiency epidemic in the country because of misinformation about UV's full range of effects."
"People are afraid to leave their houses without putting on sunscreen, but there are a host of health problems associated with vitamin D deficiencies including internal cancers, osteoporosis, and multiple sclerosis. Dermatologists don't look at all the health problems you can avoid with UV," Shepherd said. Lichtenfeld's article questioned the validity of the UV Foundation's published works, largely funded by the Indoor Tanning Association. Those who profit from the tanning industry, though, seem to have no problem subscribing to the assertions.
"There are some people who get sunburnt very easily and there are others who don't," Wardecke said. "What's best for you may not be best for me. Bottom line: Whether from a tan device or the sun, it's our bodies' only way to produce vitamin D."
Research reliability aside, the ACS sees no benefits from tanning to anyone.
"Evidence is strong that vitamin D does play a role in muscle and bone health; however, tanning and sun exposure to increase vitamin D doesn't take into account the high risk of skin cancer," Fremont-Smith said, "and we can get vitamin D into our bodies through our diets or supplements."
As for tanning without burning, she continued, "You can get skin cancer even if you don't burn, and some tanning beds actually release stronger UV radiation than you would get from the sun."
Opponents of campus-sanctioned tanning feel that the problems extend far beyond the promotion of potentially risky behavior.
"It's nice to treat students as adults, but you're still dealing, for the most part, with their parents' money," Tufts parent Linda Stimeck said. "You wouldn't pay for liquor with your ID, you wouldn't pay for cigarettes with your ID, and I don't think it would be right to pay for tanning with your ID, either."
Bruce Reitman, Dean of Student Affairs, echoed the feelings of most Tufts students and parents that tanning beds do not belong on a college campus.
"There are a heck of a lot of things I would do with space before I would even consider a tanning salon."
