The Healthy Blogger

Tanning salons need regulations

Another case of a minor being burned in an unmanned tanning salon made news today.  This time, the child was 10 years old.  Yes, there was a sign on the door saying “Strictly over 16s, only”.  Whoever thought that would keep out younger kids have no understanding of a child’s mind.

A case earlier in the year involving a 14 year old highlighted the importance of supervision at these salons.  However, the owners there had insisted that the salons were manned.  This new case goes to show that either these people are paying lip service or they are completely unaware of what their employees do.

Children may hear horror stories, but they don’t listen until it’s happened to them.  Sometimes, even that is not enough to change their behaviour.  The same can be said of adults. 

How many more injuries of this nature must we tolerate before we decide that enough is enough?  If the tanning industry cannot ensure safety to children, then the government needs to step in and act.  Salons should be manned and young children will need to prove that they are old enough to enter.  Simply taking their word for it is not adequate.  In addition, the employee needs to supervise use to prevent any burns to anyone.

It is a sad state of this society that we’ve created an image of tan as beautiful, to the extent that even a 10-year old wants a tan.  Haven’t we learned from the stories of anorexic and bulimic children who try to be skinny as a result of the super-thin models?  Now we’ll have horror stories of children being badly burned and developing serious skin problems.

Electronic cigarettes may hold hidden dangers

It’s the first I’ve heard, but apparently, electronic cigarettes have been sold for a while. These objects look like a cigarette, but they are made of metal, usually stainless steel and wrapped like a cigarette. Inside is a cartridge containing liquid nicotine. When it is heated, users can inhale the vaporised droplets and breath out a mist. It is heated using batteries. These cigarettes became popular as a way to circumvent the No Smoking rules. Initially sold on the internet, they are now being seeing on street markets and retailers.

Though it may sound like a good idea, there are some concerns. Reports state that the amount of nicotine present is ‘highly toxic’ and its use has been banned in Australia. Opponents also point out that young children can accidentally swallow the cartridges, which would be extremely dangerous. The director of the company that manufactures the cigarettes has said that tests done on mice have shown that the product is safe, but no human studies have been done. The other big concern is that the product is made in China, where standards are not good.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is that there is no government regulation on the sale of these cigarettes. Anyone can buy them. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, yet because it is not an illegal drug, per se, there are no rules against its use. If the government restricts the use of regular cigarettes, it should do so with these electronic ones as well. It is a bad habit and nicotine does have negative effects. Furthermore, they should investigate these legitimate concerns before they can allow it to be sold to the public.