Graduating students in the Bulkley Valley are taking the pledge to be tan free as part of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Tanning is Out campaign.
Grad students in Smithers and Houston are competing against six other schools in the north to see who can have the most pledges for a tan free grad.
Smithers and Houston have 126 pledges, or 61.5 per cent of grads.
The prize for all this is to receive special promotions and discounts in area businesses.
“Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is one of the most common cancers in young people between the ages of 15 and 29,” health promotion coordinator with the Canadian Cancer Society, Megan Klitch, said.
“Use of indoor tanning equipment before the age of 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 75 per cent.”
According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, one Canadian dies of skin cancer about every seven hours.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer recently upgraded the classification of indoor tanning from a possible to a known carcinogen.
The Canadian Cancer Society estimates there were 790 new cases of melanoma in BC in 2010 and 130 deaths.
Students in the valley are praising the benefits of going tan free.
“I got involved in this campaign because I know that cancer is the greatest leading cause of death in developed countries,” said Smithers student Bryanne Haskins. “We are trying to make students in our graduation class aware of the downside of tanning [indoor and out].”
Another Smithers Secondary student, Cayla Pinheiro, said the campaign has been a great way to raise awareness of the hazards of using tanning beds.
“All of our grads are reacting very positively to pledging to be tan free for graduation and it is our hope that their enthusiasm will carry on to those outside of SSS,” she said.
Shawni Hayhurst said she didn’t hesitate in joining the campaign. She already has had to deal with another form of cancer, liver cancer, after her dad passed away in 2009.
As of March 18, Kelly Road Secondary, in Prince George, is leading in percentage of students taking the pledge at just over 80.
With files from Autumn MacDonald.