3.27.2008

The "Sunlight Scam"!


I saw a commercial this evening claiming that we are all the victims of a huge scam designed to keep us out of the sun. You see, it turns out that it is definitely not true that sun light is harmful. In fact, there is even a website up about it, www.sunlightscam.com. It turns out we need sun light, something about Vitamin D or whatever.

The site sets out to "expose" a series of "scams" about sun exposure. There is also criticism that skin care/sun screen companies,

quietly funnel millions of dollars into dermatological front groups like the Skin Cancer Foundation medical academies like the American Academy of Dermatology to spread half-truths and hype about getting a tan.


I don't have much of a personal stake in this whole sun thing, I don't particularly like the sun and sunburns hurt. But I will say that it is pretty odd that a group seeking to "expose" the "scam" about the "sun" (the suns not real) states this in the "About Us" section of the web site,

the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) represents thousands of indoor tanning manufacturers, distributors, facility owners and members from other supporting industries. The professional indoor tanning industry employs more than 160,000 people and generates an economic impact of more than $5 billion annually while promoting a responsible message about moderate tanning and sunburn prevention.
My advice? Spend the five bucks, by some sun screen and don't take the risk. I wouldn't be taking any health care advice from the Indoor Tanning Association...or any association with "Indoor" in it's name.

You can play the game the image above comes from by clicking here. The point is to fry tourist to a crisp with the sun!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

we all need sun , and we all need to forget the hype and get some fun bac into our lives , dont let the goverment and cosmetic companies control us

Anonymous said...

yeah your right , we have been scammed, another lie , dont donate to skin cancer liers

Anonymous said...

Both sides are biased. We should listen to doctors and not only dermatologists.

Check this article from the New England journal of Medicine http://www.uvadvantage.org/portals/0/pdf/NEJournalofMedicine.pdf

Bulbs can be a practical and controlled way to get UVB if that is what you think is smart.

I was diagnosed as Vit D deficient and was told it can cause some bad diseases so I have been studying this.

If you read the article and then remember that most popular sources equate lack of wrinkles to health you will see how vacuous most folks understanding of this is.

Anonymous said...

both side are biased? the sun isnt a side, its a sun

Anonymous said...

Yeah - both sides idiot - the medical industry and the ITA. But what would the government have to gain by having people stay out of the sun? That's ridiculous - it's a well known fact that a sun tan/burn = skin damage. You need to go deeper when you read/hear stuff like this: who's behind it? What company would pay to advertise that sun is ok? It's not a PSA. Take a look at this story on MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/33111033/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show

Anonymous said...

u cant get more biased than the Indoor Tanning Association