by Brandi Fleeks

Created on: July 30, 2009   Last Updated: July 31, 2009

Wednesday, July 29, Lancet Oncology published a study that concluded that tanning beds are carcinogenic, similar to cigarettes.

Experts at the Internal Agency for Research on Cancer, a sect of the World Health Organization conducted a study that include approximately 20 subjects that found that the risk of cancer increases by 75 percent when tanners begin using tanning beds before the age of 30.

Before the study, tanning beds were categorized as probably carcinogenic. After the study they were moved to the definitely carcinogenic list.

The change is due to research that concluded that tanning beds emit an ultraviolet radiation that is much stronger and at a greater intensity than normal sun exposure making them more hazardous.

Vincent Cogliano, one of the cancer researchers told the Associated Press, "People need to be reminded of the risks of sunbeds. We hope the prevailing culture will change so teens don't think they need to use sunbeds to get a tan.

Both the Sunbed Association based in the U.K and the Indoor Tanning Association based in the U.S. spoke out against the re-categorization of tanning beds.

Kathy Banks, chief executive of The Sunbed Association said, "The fact that is continuously ignored is that there is no proved link between the responsible use of sunbeds and skin cancer."

The Indoor Tanning Association, told CBS News it has "always emphasized the importance of moderation when it comes to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed."

The classification change comes five years after the National Cancer Institute published an article stating that overexposure to tanning beds increases the risk of malignant melanoma, stating that the UV light causes the skin to thin and making it less able to heal.

According to the IARC study doctors have seen an equivalent increase in the numbers of young tanners with skin cancer and the use of tanning bed among people under 30.

Even with the published research, not all tanning organizations are taking the report seriously.

Steven Gilroy, executive director of the Joint Canadian Tanning Association, dismissed the international agency's report. "When you dive into the research ... there is no increased risk,he told Healthzone.ca.

Previous studies found younger people who regularly use tanning beds are eight times more likely to get melanoma than people who have never used them. Prior to the report WHO advised people younger than 18 to stay away from tanning beds.

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