America’s health hypocrite

I’m pale skinned and blue eyed, so UV-A and -B aren’t my friends. Back when I was in high school and college, I didn’t worry about that, even though the frequent sunburns were uncomfortable. By the time I was in my mid-20s, though, I was a user of sunscreen, and gradually, I avoided beaches and wore hats and long-sleeved shirts. Still, I’ve been plagued with actinic keratoses and had two Mohs surgeries for basal cell carcinomas.

Of course, now we’re in the 21st century. There’s no excuse for the Secretary of HHS to use a skin cancer generator for personal vanity. 

“HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been spotted leaving a Washington, D.C., tanning salon in recent weeks, drawing scrutiny for participating in an activity with well-known health risks, including skin cancer.

 

“In fact, the National Toxicology Program, which falls under Kennedy's purview at HHS, has determined that UV radiation, from the sun or artificial devices like sunbeds and sunlamps, is a known carcinogen. Many states have passed laws prohibiting minors from indoor tanning; and professional groups including the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) support bans on the production and sale of tanning equipment for nonmedical uses.

“Still, Kennedy may be among the approximately 7.8 million adults in the U.S. to engage in indoor tanning, according to the AAD.”

So RFK Jr. thinks he can dictate vaccine policy, access to processed foods and food dyes, and water fluoridation, but thinks tanning beds are safe? Look, tanning beds are the cigarette smoking of skin cancer. If Kennedy were serious about American public health, he’d have tanning beds banned, not make himself a poster boy for melanoma.

 https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/cultureclinic/116462?xid=nl_popmed_2025-07-11&mh=eb71348a5ff6ae370cc6759bc5dc3300d0r&zdee=gAAAAABm4u1YoCP4y5SBTJUyUyqo9KxZhft26L1xeGdP0BzzQQN1Pb_ifR6vFqhFh-3U6Q_nU7DbA-EawzzXKxSRhMOwjrOGuOKbf7OE641eN0HfnK6eObE%3D&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PopMedicine_071125&utm_term=NL_Gen_Int_PopMedicine_Active

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