Legislating Against Carcinogenic Indoor Tanning

Hold that tan!

Amidst recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of the health hazards of tanning and the public backlash from the child-endangerment case of a New Jersey mother who allegedly took her 5-year-old daughter to a tanning booth, indoor tanning has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

According to the CDC, the incidence rates of melanoma (a particularly dangerous form of malignant skin tumor) are rising and are particularly high among young white women. The CDC has warned the public that indoor tanning before age 35 causes the risk for melanoma to spike by an alarming 75 percent, a figure first arrived at by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. In the same year, WHO determined that indoor tanning beds are carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

Professional cosmetologists—such as those who have, for instance, a cosmetology license—are apprised of the health issues associated with certain substances, tools, and procedures, including tanning, in cosmetology class. Unfortunately, tanning warnings are being ignored and legislation might be necessary to ensure compliance.

The health risks notwithstanding, tanning salons are very popular in the United States. Based on data from IBISWorld, an industry research organization, nearly 22,000 tanning salons now serve an estimated 28 million customers.
Minors are especially vulnerable to the dangers of indoor tanning, a fact that fueled the public indignation over the tanning case involving the mother and her young child.

According to Dr. Kara Shah, the medical director for the Division of Pediatric Dermatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, tanning beds produce UVA and UVB rays that can easily affect any exposed skin and mucous membranes, including the eyes. In fact, some tanning beds deliver 10 to 15 times more intense UV rays than the sun does between its peak hours, said Dr. Melissa King, a pediatrician at Dayton Children’s Medical Center.

Legislation has now been introduced in Ohio that would prohibit minors who are below age 18 and who lack a doctor’s prescription from using a tanning bed.
Indoor tanning among minors has raised legal concerns, too.

At present, said Aim at Melanoma, a cancer research nonprofit organization, there are 33 states with tanning restrictions for minors. Ohio and Pennsylvania are already considering introducing legislation that bars minors below 18 years old from using tanning booths.

The restrictions are a problem for many salons, considering that for some the 18-and-below group constitutes a big percentage of their clientele. Lisa Ferguson, an Ohio salon owner, said about 40 percent of her clients are below 18.
Some salons, however, are jumping the gun to be on the safe side.

Jes Bruen, a Pennsylvania tanning-and-nail salon owner, said in an interview for republicanherald.com: "Here at Sun Seekers, if they're under 18, we personally have a parent sign to get permission. They won’t be able to tan if we don't have that permission slip."