Taxes and Tighter Restrictions Upcoming for Indoor Tanning

By Denise Reunolds
As part of the healthcare reform package signed into law this past week, millions of Americans will pay more to use indoor tanning beds. The FDA is also contemplating enforcing stricter age limits for those who wish to use the facilities.
According to Dr. Bruce E. Katz, educational spokesman for The Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 1 million Americans use tanning salons on an average day.
The “tan tax”, an additional 10% tax on tanning salon fees, will go into effect on July 1st, 2010. The Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that it will raise about $2.7 billion over the next decade to help offset the cost of the healthcare overhaul.
Skin experts says that the tax will do more – it will also save lives. Dr. Katz says that there are more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer detected each year and that those who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.
An FDA advisory panel has also recommended that the agency consider banning the use of tanning beds among teens younger than 18, or at least require parental consent. The FDA report estimates that about 35% of 17-year-old girls use tanning machines, and that first exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75%.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) was part of the panel discussion. President William D. James MD FAAD, says "The AADA urged the FDA to ban indoor tanning devices because they emit ultraviolet radiation that has been shown to cause skin cancer including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.”
“Compelling, irrefutable scientific evidence shows that indoor tanning is causing skin cancer in our young people and that is unacceptable," he continued. "At the very least, we encourage the FDA to shift the classification of indoor tanning to one that more closely matches the health risks of these devices and place additional regulations on these harmful devices," he said.
Melanoma is now the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old, and is the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old. In fact, melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than in males in the same age group.
Currently, more than 30 states already have tanning salon regulations in place, but the new FDA requirements would apply nationally.
The above was posted on foodconsumer.com by Denise Reynolds