DeLauro Applauds FDA Rule Banning Tanning Bed Use by Minors

WASHINGTON, DC (December 18, 2015) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today applauded proposed rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would protect public health by preventing the use of indoor tanning beds by minors and reduce the risk of using these devices for adults.

"The proposed rules by the FDA are critical for protecting the health of American children and adults. Indoor tanning can create devastating, lifelong health effects and we must do everything we can to ensure that consumers are fully aware of all risks before they step into a tanning facility," said Rosa DeLauro. "For years I fought for these protections and I applaud the FDA for making a much needed move to reduce the number of melanoma cases in our country each year and save lives."

Congresswoman DeLauro is a senior member of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the FDA and has long fought to ensure consumers have information about the dangers of indoor tanning. In 2013, Connecticut enacted a law to prohibit the use of tanning beds by anyone under 17 years old and DeLauro pressured the FDA to follow the state’s lead.

Indoor tanning is a known contributor to skin cancer, including melanoma (its most deadly form), and other skin damage. Yet, 1.6 million minors indoor tan each year, increasing their risk of skin cancer and other damage (based on data in the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey). According to the American Academy of Dermatology, those who have been exposed to radiation from indoor tanning are 59 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors.

In addition, the effects of exposure to UV radiation add up over one’s lifetime. Therefore, UV radiation exposure in children and teenagers puts them at a greater risk for skin and eye damage later in life.

The first proposed rule issued by the FDA today would restrict use of sunlamp products to individuals 18 and older. In addition, before their first tanning session and every six months thereafter, adult users over age 18 would have to sign a risk acknowledgement certification that states that they have been informed of the risks to health that may result from use of sunlamp products. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of more than 3,000 emergency department room visits occur for injuries related to indoor tanning each year in the U.S. (based on 2003-2012 data).

The FDA also issued a second proposed rule today that would require that sunlamp manufacturers and tanning facilities take additional measures to improve the overall safety of these devices. Specifically, some of the key proposed changes would include:

• making warnings easier to read and more prominent on the device;
• requiring an emergency shut off switch, or “panic button”;
• improving eye safety by adding requirements that would limit the amount of light allowed through protective eyewear;
• improving labeling on replacement bulbs so tanning facility operators can make sure they are using the proper replacement bulbs, reducing the risk of accidental burns; and
• prohibiting dangerous device modifications, like installing stronger bulbs, without re-certifying and re-identifying the device with the FDA.

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