Sun Beds Force to Spend $343 Million Every Year in the U.S. to Treat the Skin Cancer Patients

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Mar 03, 2017 01:37 PM EST

Sun bed is a key cause of cancer and now it is responsible for a huge medical cost. The cost is $343 million each year only in the U.S.

STAT news reported that indoor tanning is one of the most common sources of skin cancer. The U.S. is a great example of this disease where a huge number of people are suffering from skin cancer. The most alarming fact is almost 30 million people head for sun beds at least once in a year.

The negative part of the sun beds or tanning beds is they emit UV - A and UV - B rays. UV-A rays can severely damage DNA, and the UV-B rays ultimately cause skin cancer. No doubt skin cancer is a very serious issue.

Mail Online reported that apart from skin cancer, sun beds also produce other diseases, like dermatitis, porokeratosis, and others. A new study reveals that people under the age of 35 have the greatest possibility to be affected by skin cancer melanoma. Indoor tanning is currently a part of great panic for many people.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina went through the skin care cases in 2015. They applied all data and searched for the relation between sun beds and skin cancer. The researchers revealed 263,600 cases of skin cancer in 2015 related to tanning beds.

Now the total annual cost to treat those cancer patients is $343 million. The researchers checked all the necessary parts and aggregated this cost estimate. Their findings were associated with the negative impacts of sun beds on financial condition.

The Food and Drug Administration has taken some strict steps since 2014. Manufacturers are asked to put a "black- box" warning on the sun bed. This warning restricts people under 18 from using the bed. The health officials now can check the safety of the tanning beds before they enter the market.

The Affordable Care Act also tried to reduce the use of sun beds by implementing an extra excise tax on indoor tanning services. It is the need of the hour that people should be more conscious about the negative impact of it. In a word, every individual should avoid all kinds of harmful products that can cause skin cancer.

To know more about "skin cancer", read Latinos Health.

 

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