Family Fights for Ban on Indoor Tanning After Mother of Seven Dies of Cancer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.