Also, “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”.
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The agency also said it wants sunlamp manufacturers to make warnings easier to read on the device and include a panic button.
“Despite available information about its adverse effects, many high schoolers continue to use indoor tanning devices”, the FDA’s Dr. Vasum Peiris told reporters.
“Today’s action is meant to help protect young people from a known and preventable cause of skin cancer and other harms”, acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. said in a news release.
Indoor tanning devices are responsible for thousands of hospital admissions each and every year, while at the same time contributing to the nation’s accelerating skin cancer epidemic.
Limiting the amount of light allowed through protective eyewear.
Should the measures be implemented, those wishing to continue using sunbeds will be required to sign a document confirming their acknowledgment and understanding of the potentially deadly risks associated with artificial tanning devices.
“Restricting teens’ access to indoor tanning and educating all users about the dangers of tanning devices are critical steps to preventing skin cancer”, he said.
The American Academy of Dermatology applauds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for taking a monumental step to protect the public’s health by proposing new regulations governing indoor tanning. 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 US (based on 2003-2012 data).
Indoor tanners are 59% more likely than non-users to develop melanoma, the most risky form of skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. “It is long overdue and a historic victory in our fight to eradicate skin cancer that the FDA has come out with a proposal to restrict indoor tanning”.
The FDA estimates there are at least 18,000 indoor tanning salons and between 15,000 and 20,000 other facilities like health clubs and spas that offer tanning services in the U.S.
If you’d like to voice your opinion in opposition of the rule, the FDA’s website will host a public comment section about the new regulations for the next 90 days.
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If the FDA gets it way, prom season will be paler in more parts of the country.
