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Update Information-Based Lobbying The American Suntanning Association has worked tirelessly since our formation in December 2012 to promote the science that supports our industry's responsible message. considered statistically insignificant. The data has been pooled together by lobbying groups who continue to suggest incorrectly that the 75 percent number applies to tanning salons. A big part of that effort: The creation of a 150-page portfolio that we've put in the hands of state and federal lawmakers at hundreds of person-to-person meetings all across the country this past year. That kit is dynamic – we adapt it with new documents as new reports emerge. From one-page summaries to full reports, the kit has helped us remind policymakers that the publichealth message about UV needs to reflect the balance in the science. In 2009 WHO convened a second group of scientists to review the agency's list of known carcinogens. The panel concluded that since sunlight had long been included on the list of potential carcinogens that sunbeds should also be included on the list. (Being listed a carcinogen does not mean a substance is harmful in any dose. Sunlight is also necessary for all living things.) No new science was conducted. Correcting the record on the World Health Organization's 2006 and 2009 report on UV exposure is a prime example. In 2006 the World Health Organization convened a panel of scientists who published a report saying clearly: "Epidemiologic studies to date give no consistent evidence that use of indoor tanning facilities in general is associated with the development of melanoma skin cancer." That report also suggested "sunbed" use increased melanoma risk 75 percent in users under age 30. But "sunbed" actually meant all forms of UV equipment, including dermatology phototherapy units and home tanning beds – not just salon units. The WHO's own data showed that dermatology phototherapy units increase risk 96 percent while commercial salon units had just a 6 percent increase in risk – small enough to be 47 ❘ SMART TAN MAGAZINE ❘ SmartTan.com In July 2009 WHO staff published and promoted a short essay in The Lancet suggesting that the WHO listed sunbeds as a carcinogen – failing to report that "sunbeds" included dermatology use of sunbeds, instead leaving the press to believe that the report just studied indoor tanning salons. It did not. And WHO has not corrected the error. In 2011 Dr. Mia Papas, an epidemiologist at the University of Delaware, presented data at the North American Congress of Epidemiology showing that only half of the subjects in the seven studies used to create the "75 percent" statistic were tanning salon users, and that tanning salons studies alone in the data did not increase melanoma risk significantly. This type of information-based lobbying is a cornerstone to promoting the responsible face of the professional suntanning community. It's part of what ASA is doing for the suntanning community today.