2 • THURSDAY, October 18, 2012
www.merrittherald.com
NICOLA VALLEY NEWS
Liberals ban teen tanning
GUTTER CLEANING & REPAIRS
Local woman wins award for role in lobbying government By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
The B.C. government announced Monday legislation that bans youths under 18 from using tanning beds, and a young Merritt woman played a role in lobbying the Liberals to prohibit the ultraviolet rays. Nineteen-year-old Taylor Smith was frontand-centre in the fight to force the government to do their part in reducing the chances of developing skin cancer — which increases by 75 per cent among people using a tanning bed before age 35, according to the World Health Organization. Smith wanted to take on the task to potentially
‘Just by using statistics and facts like that, it’s not hard to raise awareness...’ —A LEADER IN THE FIGHT TO BAN TEEN TANNING TAYLOR SMITH
save the lives of the many youths who would otherwise use tanning beds. “Just by using statistics and facts like that, it’s not hard to raise awareness about this,” she said. “I think this campaign definitely made an impact.” Smith was honoured for her efforts with a Youth Achievement Award from the Canadian Cancer Society in Trail, B.C., on Sept. 22. Three youths in the southern Interior received awards. As a volunteer for the BC Cancer Society,
which she started in September last year, Smith was responsible for encouraging girls in high school to refrain from tanning before graduation. “I trained Grade 12 students in Merritt and gave them information about all the risks of indoor tanning and then they passed it on to their peers,” she explained. She managed to encourage 75 per cent of female Merritt Secondary School graduating students to pledge their commitment stay away
from the beds. Prize incentives were given to local students to encourage them not to tan, she added. “I basically told them about the risks of it, like the risk of getting melanoma.” Smith is now studying for her bachelor of science with a major in biochemistry at UBC Okanagan. Her mother, Elaine, said her daughter has also helped with the Merritt Relay for Life and other charities. “Basically, she doesn’t like to have free time,” she said. “She was really involved with this campaign and so many others.” The government ban took effect on Monday,
and also includes a requirement for tanning operators to post a sign at their business informing the public of the ban.
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