Let’s protect NH children from cancer caused by indoor tanning facilities

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of a New Hampshire House bill which would prohibit kids younger than 18 from using carcinogenic UV indoor tanning facilities.

I started using tanning beds at 16, convinced they mitigated acne. Though I was aware of the risks, my teenage insecurities vastly outweighed any health concerns. I didn’t think I was putting myself in danger by tanning a few times during a bout of acne or before formal dances.

At 23, I was diagnosed with melanoma. I was stunned. My doctor told me the worst-case scenario was I had six months to live.

Fortunately, the cancer had not spread and the melanoma was removed. Still, the experience made a huge impact on my life. Today, I feel anxious whenever the sun is shining down on me. Nothing stopped me from entering that tanning salon as a naïve teenager and I often wonder how different my life would be if something had.

It is just as crucial to regulate tanning as it is to keep teens from buying cigarettes. Of the estimated 400 melanoma cases in New Hampshire this year, 50 people will die from the disease. I sincerely hope elected officials support this bill on Wednesday, March 19.

NICOLE PAGE

Merrimack

Support Cinda Guagliumi for
Merrimack School Board

To the Editor:

I urge you to support Cinda Guagliumi for election to the Merrimack School Board.

Cinda is finishing her third year on the Merrimack School District Budget Committee, and this past year served as chair. She has an exemplary attendance record, asks good questions, and is an excellent communicator.

Cinda is bright and enthusiastic, and like many of those she wishes to represent, she is a businessperson, wife and mother of two young boys, both of whom attend Merrimack schools.

I believe she possesses the right people skills for the job, and will make the tough decisions that lie ahead.

Please join me in supporting Cinda Guagliumi for Merrimack School Board, and vote on April 8.

Thank you.

BILL CUMMINGS

Merrimack

All are invited to the Town Council candidates forum on April 2

To the Editor:

The Merrimack Business Association is pleased to announce that it is sponsoring a Town Council Candidates Forum on April 2, at 7 p.m. in the Matthew Thornton Meeting Room at Town Hall.

The moderator will be Thomas Young and the event will air live on Channel 22. All are welcome to come and learn first-hand the positions of the Town Council candidates.

DAVID MCCRAY

Merrimack