Congressional Democrats hope a new tax on tanning will help them fund their health-care overhaul bill. The 10 percent “vanity tax” could take affect as soon as this summer and would apply to indoor and outdoor salons citywide, according to the News. A representative of the industry was enraged by the threatened price hike. "Tax policy shouldn't be made like this - it shouldn't be based on one industry's grudge against the other," said Indoor Tanning Association executive director John Overstreet. One tanner implied that with the sunny months coming, she might have to head outdoors (Gasp!). "It's already too expensive," said student Lia Pettineo, 22. "Once summer is here officially, I'll stop." Tanning opponents says the ultraviolet beds cause melanoma and call them “the cigarettes of our times.” more ›

With sand being a danger to beachgoers this summer, many might be seeking their sun-kissed glow from one of the many tanning beds around the city. But wait, those aren't safe either! 1010WINS warns they are now in the top cancer risk category, "deeming them as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas" and pointing towards a new study that says "the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30." What's most surprising is that we are hearing this in 2009. Anyway, since experts have now found that all types of ultraviolet radiation are carcinogenic (previously, only one type was thought to be lethal), what will it mean for tanning salons? The new classification places them alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus, chimney sweeping, and other things that can definitely cause cancer. Find out what else will likely kill you, tonight at 11. more ›