A series of medical professionals told the House Health TrackCommittee that limiting minors’ access to tanning beds would help protect them against early exposure to UV radiation and an increased risk of developing skin cancer.
Dr. Shannon Trotter, representing the Ohio Dermatological Association and the Ohio State Medical Association, said in proponent testimony on the measure (HB 159) the risk of developing skin cancer significantly increases with the use of indoor tanning beds.
“Research shows a person who has used tanning beds for more than 50 hours is two and a half to three times more likely to develop melanoma than a person who has never utilized a tanning bed,” she said. “For all of these reasons, no amount of UV exposure from tanning beds is safe. There is no such thing as a safe tan. By definition, a tan is evidence of skin damage.”
She said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration changed its regulation of tanning beds in 2014, including a recommendation against the use of tanning beds by minors, she said.
“The concept of prohibiting use of carcinogenic or dangerous products is not new,” she said. “Governments often enact laws in the interest of educating the public and trying to preserve the health and wellbeing of its citizens, especially those such as minors who are easily influenced. Our government restricts minors’ use of tobacco and alcohol for this reason. For something that is classified as dangerous a substance as cigarettes, why do we make an exception for ultraviolet radiation exposure from indoor tanning?”
Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) asked how the UV exposure in a tanning bed compares to natural exposure outside or in a swimming pool.
“It’s much more intense than what we receive on a regular basis from our sun exposure,” Dr. Trotter said.
About 18 states and the District of Columbia prohibit minors from using indoor tanning devices, she said. “We are seeing some improvement in education across the country.”
Minors account for about 5% of tanning bed use nationwide, she told Rep. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati).
The bill would not regulate tanning beds within a private home, and only impacts commercial beds, she told Chairman Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin). “We do feel like that’s a separate issue.”
Dr. Kris Fisher, a physician specializing in dermatology and skin pathology, said the measure would protect children from a known carcinogen. Current law allows children under 16 to use tanning services if accompanied by a parent or guardian and those 16 and 17 to do so with parental consent.
“There have been similar restrictions enacted by other states, and though these are intended to limit access to tanning by minors, unfortunately compliance is low and these measures appear to have very little effect on the rates of indoor tanning use,” he said. “Rates of indoor tanning use by minors in states with parental consent laws are similar to rates in states with no consent restrictions at all. It is just doesn’t seem to be enough.”
He told Rep. Russo that he believes there’s a knowledge gap between the actual risk of UV radiation and the public’s perception of the risk.
Humans use UV light from the sun to produce Vitamin D, Dr. Fisher told Rep. Lipps. “The intense exposure to UV that comes from artificial sources is I think what most concerns me.”
Rep. Lipps said UV is the only substance on the U.S. government’s list of carcinogens that humans would die without.
Dr. Daniel Roper, a pediatric resident physician in Columbus, said the legislation would assist in cancer prevention. It can delay a person’s decision to start using a tanning bed.
Other submitting testimony in favor included the MetroHealth System, the Ohio Hematology Oncology Society, the Cleveland Clinic, the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and the Ohio Osteopathic Association.