Tanning: It's A Minor Question

The Rhode Island State Senate a bill earlier last May that would make it illegal for anyone under 18 years old to use tanning salons. Currently, the law allows them to use tanning facilities if they parental permission.

According to Dr. Jason Neustadter, a melanoma survivor, the use of tanning beds by young people increases their risk of developing melanoma by 400 percent. More than 30 states have laws restricting their use by minors to varying degrees. Texas has the strongest law to date, banning their use by children under 16 and a half. Rhode Island would be the first state to boost the age to 18. 

The bill is now in House Committee, along with similar legislation (2011-H 5627) which was introduced by Rep. Eileen S. Naughton of Warwick. There has not been any new action on the bill, and a similar restriction stalled and died in committee last year.

The proposal makes owner Chuck Bailey angry.

About 15 percent of his Newport clients are young people, and he said that losing them will make a big difference in his business.

“At the end of the day the state of Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate and the worst government in the country, and it’s wasting its time worrying about regulating tanning salons," Bailey said. "We already have a law that works just fine that requires children to get the consent of their parents to use the beds.”

Mike Toohey, of Sports Tanning in Middletown, approaches things differently.

“We just tell the kids that we don’t tan minors, even with a parent’s consent,” he said. “It just makes things easier all around.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer in teenagers between 15-19. Not all of the exposure comes from tanning beds, but they are one source of ultraviolet rays which are harmful. Two years ago, the World Health Organization placed UV tanning beds in its highest cancer causing risk category.

“Kids can run around on beaches for an unrestricted amount of time," Bailey said. "Are they going to have someone go out to the beaches and monitor them? Tanning in a controlled environment is much safer. I have carefully trained certified people here who understand different skin types so they can give a safe tanning experience. We err on side of conservative treatments with ultraviolet A or B rays or a combination of each.”