MD Minors Banned From Using Tanning Beds As Of Oct. 1

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland teenagers will not be able to use tanning beds when new legislation takes effect Oct. 1, according to a news release from the Maryland Department of Health. Tanning facilities cannot allow anyone younger than 18 to use any tanning device, including sunlamps, tanning booths or tanning beds.

The new law requires owners, employees or operators of tanning facilities to verify the age of anyone using a tanning device. Violations will be subject to civil penalties and fines.

“The research clearly shows considerable health risks from indoor tanning. The younger people are when they start, the worse the consequences can be. Without a doubt, the use of tanning devices increases the risk of skin cancer,” said Robert R. Neall, secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, in a statement.

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According to the MDH 2018 Cancer Report, 1,715 Marylanders were diagnosed in 2015 with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that indoor tanning causes more than 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the United States annually.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that if no one younger than 18 ever used a tanning bed, 61,839 melanomas and 6,735 deaths due to melanoma would be prevented annually. In addition to skin cancer, the health risks associated with tanning include premature skin aging, burns and adverse reactions if used with certain medications, foods and cosmetics.

“The use of tanning devices is popular among youth, with 7.2 percent of Maryland high school students reporting indoor tanning in 2016,” said Fran Phillips, MDH deputy secretary for public health. “We are seeing an increase in the annual incidence rates of melanoma in Maryland. As such, the goal of this new requirement is to protect our youth from the harms of tanning devices.”

The Maryland Department of Health will use public messages, educational outreach and notices sent to tanning businesses to educate the public about this change. Facility operators must post a notice from the department of health about the new law. This law does not apply to phototherapy devices used by health care practitioners in the diagnosis or treatment of disease or injury.