California Bans Tanning Beds for Teens

Studies show that exposure to UV radiation from artificial tanning devices is associated with a 75 percent increased risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and non-melanoma skin cancer, such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. Nearly 30 million people in the United States, including 2.3 million teens, use tanning booths annually despite warnings from public health agencies about their potential to cause skin cancer.

“California is expected to have 8,250 new cases of melanoma in 2011, or approximately 12 percent of the estimated 70,000 cases nationwide,” said dermatologist Ann F. Haas, MD, FAAD, past president of the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. “Melanoma incidence rates have been increasing for the last 30 years, but have been growing most rapidly — three percent per year — since 1992 among young women ages 15 to 39. We encourage other states to follow California’s lead and help slow the incidence of potentially deadly skin cancer by prohibiting the use of commercial tanning devices by minors.”