Wednesday, August 23,1989
The Battalion
Texas tans tougher now
DALLAS (APh— Buying a suntan will soon become
a little more difficult for Texans 18 and under.
Beginning Sept. 1. tanning salon customers aged 14
to 18 must have written permission from a parent or
guardian. Those under 14 must be accompanied by a
parent or guardian.
The new law also prohibits salon operators from
promoting tanning booths as risk-free. All customers
must sign a statement showing they understand the
nsks of overexposure and agree to use protective eye-
wear.
The Texas Dermatological Society and the Texas
Medical Society pressed for the law. signed June 15 by
Gov. Bill Clements.
Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation emitted by
tanning booths and the sun can lead to skin cancer, eye
damage, weaken the immune system and cause prema
ture aging of the skin.
Texas is the third state to regulate tanning salons,
according to the American Acaoemv of Dermatology .
In 1985, Ohio became the first state, followed by Cali
fornia last September.
Tanning may be neat, but it
increases cancer, other ills
CHICAGO (AP) — Getting a
tan in order to improve your
looks raises your nsk of skin can
cer, wrinkles, eye damage and
changes in the skin's immune sys
tem, a new report says.
No health benefits are known
from cosmetic tanning, except
that '‘tanned skin may have posi
tive psychological value by cre
ating an enhanced image of per
sonal worth.” said the report by
the American Medical Associa
tion.
The price can be high — pre
mature wrinkles, dryness and
leathery skin; a heightened risk
of skin cancer; damage to the
eyes, and genetic changes that
mas compromise the skin s ability
to fight invaders, the report said.
“Despite the hazards, many
people cannot be dissuaded from
sunbathing or u, * n >l artificial tan-
sun
ning
devices.*
the report.
written by the Chicago-based
AMA’s Council on Scientific Af
fairs and published in Friday's
Journal of the American Medical
Association.
The council recommended
these guidelines for people who
insist on tanning:
— Minimize exposure to ultra
violet radiation, the component
of sunlight that causes tanning
and burning, by staying out of the
sun between 10 a.m and 2 p.m.
and wearing a hat and protective
clothing
— Beware of surfaces such as
sand, snow, ice and concrete that
reflect sunlight and can intensify
the effects of the sun’s rays by 10
percent to 50 percent.
— Use a sunscreen, with a sun
protection factor of at least 15 for
skin that bums easily or tans only
gradually, or higher at greater el
evations or for other intensive ex
posures.
— Avoid tanning machines
Exposure to their radiation may
increase the risk of skin cancer,
even though most modern ma
chines use the “safer” form of ul
traviolet light, called UV-A.
rather than the more dangerous
form, UV-B.
People with extremely fair skin
or severe reactions to sunlight
should never use such booths, it
said.
If tanning equipment is used,
people who tan moderately well
should limit their exposures to 50
to 50 half-hour sessions per year
or less, use a properly calibrated
device with a timer, keep a record
of exposures, wear protective
goggles and make sure an atten
dant is nearby in case of an emer
gency. the report said.
Baby rhino
has zoo bosses
very happy
FORT WORTH (AP) — Fort
Worth Zoo officials still aren’t
sure what sex their new baby
rhino is, hut they know its signifi
cance.
The 100-pound black rhinoc
eros calf is tne first bom under a
program designed to save the
species from extinction through
captive breeding, and biologists
hope it will be tne first of many-
born on U.S. zoos and ranches.
The baby is about the size of a
large dog. and has a bump on its
nose that will later grow into a
large horn. It was closely tended
its mother. Ngwete, one of 10
k rhinos brought to the
Unned States last month from
Zimbabwe
Ngwete’s birth was immedi
ately hailed as a milestone in the
effort to try to preserve the spe
cies.
“It’s wonderful." said Ham
Trnnison. who organized the
shipment of black rhinos to
breeding programs in the United
States.
“I already have a name for it,”
Tennison said “1*3 like to call it
laicky’ because of how lucky we
are to have it.**
Fort Worth Zoo director FJvie
Turner Jr. said the baby is
healthy, but that experts won t be
able to determine its sex for some
time.
Turner said he was consid
ering naming the rhino Harry,
after Tennison. if it turns out to
be male.
“Maybe we'll call it Lucky
Harry.” he said.
by it
lilac I
‘Soupers’ home team
really hasn’t its own
NEW HAVEN. Conn. (AP) — A
group of homeless men. led by a
monk who runs a soup kitchen, has
formed a softball team named “The
Soupers” and is taking on all comers
with a price: I risers must donate to
the soup kitchen
“A lot of people have asked where
is our home field. As homeless peo
ple. I tell them it’s appropriate we
don’t have one,” said Brother Denvs
Cormier, a monk of the Emmaus
Monastic Community who runs the
Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
and is the team’s manager
Denys hopes his team will help
break stereotypes of the homeless as
people either on drugs or alcohol.
4nd help put faces on the working
poor He said there are about 6,000
Homeless people in this city of
125.000
Teams that play The Soupers will
have to make a donation, of any
amount they choose, if they lose. But
Brother Denvs is hopeful even victo
rious opponents will pitch in and
help the homeless.
The challenge has gone out to es
tablished teams in New Haven’s
softball leagues, and at least two
teams have expressed interest. But
Brother Denvs said his ballclub will
play anvbodv.
“Well go to Florida if they’ll pay
for our ticxets." he said.
The Soupers plan to hold their
first practice after attending a
weekly church service for the home
less run by their manager, who will
wear his traditional gray robes dur-
ing games
Twenty homeless men have
signed up for the team, ranging in
age from their early 20s to mid-50s.
Most live at the city's three homeless
shelters, and a number have tempo
rary iobs Several members of the
fledgling team were top athletes in
high school.
Some have had run-ins with the
law and are trying to get their lives
back together Gordon. 22. the
team’s captain, is one of them. After
graduating from high school in Wa
terbary. where he played basketball
and baseball. Gordon said he got
into trouble because “I didn't use my
mind.”
('•ordon. who declined to give his
last name, has lived at a city shelter
for four months, and has lived at
other times with an aunt. He said
plaving softball should lift the spirits
of the homeless men and show the
community thev are no different
from anyone else
“Some of these guys are really
feeling bad because of the situation
they are in. They have not chosen to
be in this position. I think if you give
them a little motivation, tney will
have a better attitude toward
things.” Gordon said.
A restaurant already has agreed
to donate shirts to the team, and
other comributKms of equipment or
money are being sought
Denys allows himself a few
i buckles at the thought of the Jokes
that may spring from his fielding a
team of Homeless men.
“Wlien someone yells 'Bums' at
the umpires." he said, “our whole
team will stand up.”
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