he notion that sunlight is bad and that people who tan are recklessly risking their lives has become conventional wisdom. However, in 2004, Michael Holick, M.D., a professor of medicine and physiology at Boston University School of Medicine, published a book entitled The UV Advantage. In his book, Holick challenges the idea that the sun is always bad, arguing that sunlight is actually necessary for good health. Not that Holick believes in being a sun worshipper; on the contrary, he began his book with the statement, "I do not advocate tanning." Yet, wrote Holick, because humans obtain 90 to 95 percent of their vitamin D from the sun and because this essential vitamin helps to strengthen bones and protect against illnesses like diabetes and multiple sclerosis, people should expose themselves to sunlight—without sun block—for 5 to 10 minutes every day. Holick also pointed out that sun awareness campaigns have always focused on the possibility of getting malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer. Yet that form of skin cancer accounts for only 10 percent of all skin cancers, so 90 percent of them are still easily treated.
Not everyone, though, appreciated Holick's reasoned arguments in favor of short doses of sunlight. The month before the book came out, the sunscreen industry bought advertisements in newspapers to attack Holick's reputation. Plus, he was asked to resign his dermatology professorship at Boston University School of Medicine because his views did not match those of his colleagues in the dermatology department. Holick, who remains at Boston University as a professor of medicine and physiology, has pointed out that the dermatology community, especially the American Academy of Dermatology, received major funding from the sunscreen industry. (Source of information: Brendan O'Neill, "`They Have Vilified the Sun—and Me,'" Spiked, July 23, 2004,
www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA616.htm)
From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?
a. Michael Holick would probably argue that it's not necessary to pack sunscreen for a day at the beach.
b.Michael Holick would agree that spending a lot of time in a tanning bed is a lot better for your health than lying in the sun.
c.Michael Holick would say that warnings about the risk of skin cancer have been accurate.
d.Michael Holick would encourage anyone who wants a deep tan to get it from a bottle or tube rather than a day spent lying in the sun.
d.Michael Holick would encourage anyone who wants a deep tan to get it from a bottle or tube rather than a day spent lying in the sun.