Today officially kicks off the summer season, as families and friends head to the beach for the long holiday weekend. As people start to spend more time outside, it's important to raise awareness about skin cancer and the dangers of tanning. That's why the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day as "Don't Fry Day." Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S., with more than 2 million cases each year. Unfortunately, there are many common misconceptions about sunscreen and tanning bed use. I invite you to read American Cancer Society Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Len Lichtenfeld's blog post for more information on how to protect yourself and your family from a battle with skin cancer. In addition to protecting yourself from the harmful rays of the sun, it's also important to avoid indoor tanning beds, especially for youth. People who use sunbeds before age 35 increase their lifetime risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 75 percent. Melanoma is also the most common form of cancer for those ages 25-29. That's why the FDA announced earlier this month that it will reclassify tanning beds to a higher risk medical device - an important step forward that will move tanning bed sunlamps from being regulated in the same risk category as tongue depressors to a category that better reflects their danger to individuals' health. Given the overwhelming evidence that tanning beds are dangerous, we hope that the FDA will continue to regulate and reevaluate its standards in order to protect consumers. Another important piece to the FDA's proposal is the requirement of salons to display crucial labeling that discourages people under the age 18 from using these products. However, we think the regulations should go a step further and restrict minors from using tanning beds. That's why this year we worked with 32 states across the country to pass under 18 restrictions similar to those passed in California and Vermont in 2012. In fact, legislatures in Texas, Illinois, Nevada, Connecticut and North Carolina are still working on under-18 restrictions today. Would you support this type of legislation in your state?
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.