A British family called for a ban on tanning beds Monday after blaming the tanning machines for the death of a 31-year-old mother of seven, the Derby Telegraph reported.
Teresa Zawadzki never sunbathed outdoors — but instead she used a tanning bed installed at her home in Derby, central England, to constantly top up her tan.
Zawadzki ignored a cancerous mole on her leg until it grew to the size of a prune. Less than six months after showing it to her doctor she was dead, the cancer having spread to her lungs and spine.
Her seven children, aged from three to 15, will now be raised by their 51-year-old grandmother Helen, who said tanning beds claimed her daughter's life.
"I really think sunbeds should be banned," she said.
"Teresa showed me the mole, and I couldn't believe how big it was — it was the size of a prune and raised off her skin. I think she was scared to go and get it checked out."
Britain's National Health Service warns that prolonged exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.
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