Some Iowa students campaign against tanning beds

A group of Vinton-Shellsburg High School students are campaigning to have students avoid tanning beds in anticipation of the school's prom April 28.

Some of the students recently attended a leadership conference in Dubuque, where they got the idea for the effort. Now there are posters all over the high school with sayings such as “Embrace the skin you are in” and “Ban the Tan.” There also is a poster-sized petition in the cafeteria where students who pledge to stay out of tanning beds have signed their names. More than 50 students had signed as of Thursday.

“We are trying to raise awareness about tanning and how bad it is for you,” said Alexis Peterson, a junior at the school.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, using a tanning bed is more dangerous for younger people. The CDC says those who begin tanning before the age of 35 have a 75 percent higher risk of melanoma.

Student leaders decided starting the anti-tanning effort now would be perfect timing, as prom is coming up.

“You go out and you tan maybe once or twice for prom every year and say, ‘oh it's not going to affect me,'” said Hunter Vogt, also a junior. “But it doesn't affect you right now, it will affect you 30 years from now, when you have kids.”

“We're not trying to force you to not tan. We are just trying to get you to see how bad it is for you,” added Peterson. “I've been to prom my freshman year and my sophomore year both and I never tanned for them and I had just as much fun with pale skin.”

Heather Kalous, a physical education teacher at the school, had basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, and said she thought it was important for kids to understand the risks of tanning.

“I was a tanner when I was in college and I was a lifeguard, always out in the sun, didn't always wear sunscreen like I should and now I am paying the price for that,” she said.