I’m always talking about the dangers of using sun beds, but if you didn’t believe me before and continue to throw caution to the wind, then please stop and read this.

Assessments by World Health Organization oncologists have concluded what we’ve suspected for years — that the UV light used in artificial tanning beds is indeed a carcinogen. And it’s not just any old carcinogen, it is one at the same grade of toxicity as gamma radiation and plutonium. This means that instead of saying that the radiation from a tanning bed might cause cancer, now we know that it will.

In fact, exposure to a tanning bed beginning before the age of 30 increases your risk of skin cancer by a huge 75 percent, and melanoma is one of the most deadly forms of cancer.

Is that a wake up call I can hear?