Tanning devices cost the Unites States $343.1 million a year in medical costs because of the skin cancers associated with their use, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cancer Policy.
Lead author Hugh Waters, MD, and his colleagues from the University of North Carolina established how prevalent indoor tanning-related skin cancers are in the country and calculated the costs of those diseases.
They estimated that in 2015 there were 263,600 cases of skin cancer that could be attributed to indoor tanning. In addition to the resulting $343.1 million in medical costs in 2015, the authors said they cause a total economic loss of $127 billion over the lifetime of the people affected. The authors concluded that effective policies and strategies are needed to reduce the use of tanning devices in order to mitigate their health and financial impacts.
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The evidence that tanning devices cause skin cancer is formidable: They emit UV radiation, and UV-A damages cells and DNA, while UV-B causes burning. Both contribute to skin cancer. In addition, there are several other diseases linked to indoor tanning, including dermatitis, keratitis and porokeratosis. Despite this, the proportion of people in the country who use indoor tanning devices has risen over the last 20 years -- an estimated 30 million people now use the devices at least once a year, in approximately 25,000 tanning salons across the country.
The researchers focused on three types of skin cancer: cutaneous melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. They identified the total number of cases in the U.S. in 2015 and worked out how many of these cases were likely due to the use of tanning devices. They did so by using data on the prevalence of their use, and previously published estimates of relative risk -- the likelihood of having the disease for people who use tanning devices compared to people who don't. There were 9,000 cases of melanoma, 86,600 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 168,000 cases of basal cell carcinoma that could be attributed to the use of tanning devices.
Waters said in a statement that the calculations are all conservative, representing a low estimate of the overall impact.
Twitter: @JELagasse