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Answer to Question #3061 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Suntanning The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
My boyfriend works at a nuclear power plant as a maintenance planner. He is in and out of the reactor several times a year. He insists that by using a tanning bed, I am receiving just as much radiation as he is by going into the reactor. Is this true?
A
Your boyfriend would be correct if he said you are receiving just as much, or more, risk of a health effect from your tanning beds as he is from his job. Very technically the type of radiation you receive in the tanning bed, ultraviolet radiation, is different than the type he receives in his job, ionizing radiation. So they really can't be compared on a "dose" basis. But, they can be compared on a health effect basis. The Health Physics Society has taken a position on the use of tanning beds. Our position is that the risk of adverse health effects from the use of tanning beds does not justify their use. In the case of your boyfriend's job, the radiation exposure he receives may also carry some risk. However, the Health Physics Society's position is that, as long as his exposure is within the allowable limits for a nuclear worker, the risk, if it exists, is too small to measure or see in humans. In addition, he gets benefits from his job that outweigh any risk that might exist, whereas you can't say that about the tanning beds. So, although very technically his statement may not be exactly correct, the point he is making is correct. I encourage you to read our position statement on tanning beds. Keith H. Dinger, CHP
Answer posted on 10 October 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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