The Food and Drug Administration exists to regulate products and protect consumers from ingesting dangerous substances. And it is time the FDA exerted more influence into a new area, one that involves neither food nor drugs. As of now, the FDA is responsible for advising people on the risks presented by indoor tanning. It has not actively sought to enforce tanning safety. The regulation of the tanning industry is currently done on a state-by-state basis, which has resulted in glaring inconsistencies in safety measures from state to state. That needs to change, and the FDA, or some other government agency, should begin regulating tanning salons on a national scale.
Tanning has grown into a $5 billion dollar industry, and 30 million Americans visit tanning salons every year. Moreover, the frequency with which Americans are visiting tanning salons is on the rise. Unfortunately, this trend is especially strong among younger people, most notably women.
The tanning industry, though it is large and growing, involves a troubling lack of regulation. Tanning beds are currently classified as only Class I medical devices. That means tanning beds are regulated as strongly as bandages and examination gloves. Such a classification is a major mistake. Tanning beds simulate the sun’s ultraviolet rays. More stringent guidelines should be applied to ensure that people are not being bombarded with unanticipated levels of UV radiation as a result of poor manufacturing. Labels warning consumers of a tanning bed’s negative side effects are not sufficient protection.
What is perhaps even more disturbing than the lack of regulation for tanning beds is the misinformation many tanning salons spread. A study of Missouri tanning salons performed by the Washington University in Saint Louis Medical School produced alarming results. Forty-three percent of the surveyed salons advertised to their customers that tanning involved no risk whatsoever. Other salons claimed that their customers would experience no risk if they followed the proper steps, and only 20 percent of salons advised protective measures such as sunscreen. Additionally, most salons allowed children as young as 10 years old to tan.
Granted, Missouri has no tanning regulations and may be an extreme case when it comes to tanning salon irresponsibility. Nevertheless, the Missouri tanning industry serves as an indication of how dangerous tanning businesses can become if they are not subjected to proper oversight. The medical community universally acknowledges the dangers posed by prolonged exposure to UV light. Indoor tanning does nothing but increase those dangers, as people are exposed to UV radiation often without protection while seeking to receive tans over an accelerated timeframe. Zero-risk tanning does not exist. Experts estimate that up to 20 percent of Americans may be diagnosed with skin cancer during the course of their lives. Among younger Americans, who constitute the demographic most likely to go tanning, melanoma — the deadliest kind of skin cancer — is now the third-most common cancer.
To have a tanning salon claim that its business presents no risk should be illegal. Providing such false information to consumers should never be allowed, nor should allowing people of such young ages to tan. Tanning’s negative effects are exacerbated the younger a person is. Nations like the United Kingdom and Australia have already instituted laws banning children under 18 from using tanning salons. The United States needs to follow suit. Leaving the laws and regulation up to individual states has not resulted in even protection from the harms tanning perpetuates.
I don’t mean to say tanning should be banned outright. But the FDA or another organization would be wise to institute nationwide regulations. Every would-be tanner can then be presented with the same statistics and risk factors regarding tanning. Moreover, a national age limit needs to be set so that children are not exposed to unnecessary UV radiation too early. The limit could be until a child is 18, or perhaps an age recommended by the medical community.
Of course, if someone of legal age wants to visit a tanning salon or purchase a tanning bed for his own house, he is free to do so. To that end, more public advertising of tanning’s risks could help deter people or encourage less risky tanning. The United States has been running anti-smoking ads that exhibit the medical problems that are a result of smoking. While tanning warnings need not be as widespread — or graphic — as anti-smoking ads because tanning does not produce unhealthy secondhand effects, tanning’s dangers should become more widely known. Unwise tanning ultimately presents a health hazard to Americans. The government must step in to more forcefully standardize the practice.
Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
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