Maryland Pioneers Tanning Bed Ban
Prohibits Minors from using Tanning Beds
Effective today, Thursday, November 12, 2009 – minors are banned from using indoor tanning beds in Howard County, Maryland.
This is a huge breakthrough. At least thirty one states regulate the use of tanning by minors, including including Texas, Illinois, and Wisconsin. However, banning use (except for medical reasons) is new.
Tanning beds are classified as a known carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Studies from many organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Skin Cancer Foundation have found a direct correlation between the rising numbers of diagnosed skin cancers generally, and particularly skin cancers in young women, to the use of tanning beds.
Coincidentally, as I was writing this, a story in a British paper graphically illustrates the damage tanning can cause in young women. The Sun Newspaper asked a young actress, Gemma Merna, to have her skin photographed with a UV camera. Merna, who used tanning beds as a teen, agreed. The eye-opening results are
British actress Gemma Merna
opposite.
According to a study by Dellavalle, et al (Youth access laws: In the dark at the tanning parlor. Archives of Dermatology 139:443-48, 520-24) despite the clear correlation between tanning and skin cancer, France is the only country out of six – including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States that bans children from using indoor tanning devices. In the United Kingdom, suits are being brought against parents and tanning bed operators under child abuse laws to try to curb use by children. Last month, Scotland introduced an 18-year age limit, with tanning salons facing fines for non-compliance. In Australia, the Cancer Council of New South Wales called for amendments to the Public Health Act to closely regulate the tanning bed industry, particularly with regard to protecting children and informing users of risks.
If more state legislators understood the harm and the cost tanning beds cause, they would be more likely to
Gemma Merna skin damage after tanning
address the need for protection.
I would strongly advocate for a fee (like the tax on cigarettes) to be placed on the use of tanning beds that can be used for a national SunAWARE education campaign.
Congratulations, Howard County, for a job well done!
For more go to this story in the Baltimore Sun.