Crazy people
“As a dermatologist, this decision is deeply disappointing and frankly dangerous,” said Anthony Rossi, a dermatologist, professor and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
“This rule took many years to get traction, and now it’s been pulled. That’s not deregulation, that’s a step backwards for children’s health,” he told HuffPost.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. Tanning beds can emit up to five to 15 times more concentrated ultraviolet (UV) radiation than the midday sun. This intense exposure directly damages skin cell DNA, triggering mutations that cause those cells to multiply uncontrollably and turn cancerous.
As the Bulwark noted, the proposal the FDA pulled was similar to the FDA’s initial move to ban youth cigarette sales back in 1997. (UV radiation is a carcinogen in the same class as cancer-causing substances such as tobacco and asbestos.)
The FDA’s notice, signed by Kennedy, said the move “does not mean that exposure to UV radiation does not cause skin cancer.” But Kennedy ― who has been spotted frequenting tanning salons around D.C. ― has previously said that he wants to end the government’s “aggressive suppression of ... sunshine,” without specifying what exactly that means.
What makes the FDA’s ruling especially alarming, Rossi said, is the timing. It comes as followers of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement increasingly embrace the idea of building a “solar callus” through gradual sun exposure instead of using sunscreen, which many in the movement see as unnecessary.
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