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Arizona may ban teens from tanning beds
January 30, 2017
Arizona could ban teens under age 18 from tanning beds if some state lawmakers and physicians get their way.
Currently, parents can sign permission slips for minor children to use tanning beds. House Bill 2194, called the Skin Cancer Preventative Act of 2017, would require photo ID to prove a customer is age 18 or older.
"(It) is really acting on a call from the FDA as well as the World Health Organization, which has classified indoor tanning and ultraviolet light as a carcinogen and put it in the same category as cigarettes and weapons-grade plutonium," said Arizona Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Society President Dr. Aaron Mangold, adding that 25 other states have similar laws.
Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, has pushed the idea since 2012, but Thursday was the first time the bill was granted a public hearing. The House Health Committee, which Carter chairs this year, passed it on a 7-1 vote.
"Research has shown that this is such a public-health concern that we need to put appropriate protections in place," Carter said. "This is a huge first step. I hope it's not the last step. Maybe this will be the year we get it done."
It is now up to Republican House leadership to decide whether to grant the proposal a vote in the full House. Without a vote, it will die again.
"This bill has long awaited a hearing," said lobbyist Brian Hummell, who represents the American Cancer Society. "We know that use of these indoor tanning devices, especially at a young age, increases the risk for cancer. If we were to pass this law, there would be almost 1,400 cases of melanoma averted ... and more than $7.6 million in health-cost savings."
Several skin-cancer patients spoke in support of the bill during Thursday's hearing. All said they had used tanning beds.
Christine Nelson of Mesa said she started using tanning beds at age 19, going two or three times a week. Three years later, she noticed a strange mole that later became melanoma.
"In the last 10 years, I have had nine surgeries, seven chemotherapy treatments, four radiation treatments, hospital stays and endless emergency-room visits," she said. "Let's pass this bill so we can protect our children who still have young, healthy skin, youthful, beautiful skin."
Linda Zenonian said she just finished 14 days of topical chemotherapy on her scalp. She's gone through similar treatments on parts of her arms and hands as well, she said.
"I did unlimited tanning for years and years. I thought it made me look healthier," she said. "Now I'm paying the price."
She asked lawmakers to think seriously about the impact of tanning beds on children. She also said the public needs better education about the seriousness of skin cancers.
"There's a stigma out there that if you have skin cancer, you don't really have cancer," she said. "That's wrong. Skin cancer leads to many, many cancers. Please help us pass this bill."
Increased chances for skin cancer
According to pediatric dermatologist Dr. Ron Hansen, exposure to the UVA lights in tanning significantly increases the chances of skin cancer.
"Melanoma is the fastest-growing malignant tumor of any malignant tumor we know," he said. "In the 1930s, the risk was one in 1,500. Now, it's one in 50. And that is almost entirely due to recreational sun exposure."
Hansen said Queensland, Australia, has the highest risk for melanoma in the world. He said it is believed that Arizona is second. He said children need to be banned from the beds.
"We don't let parents sign a piece of paper to let their 16-year-old buy cigarettes. We don't let them buy alcohol because a parent signs for it," he said. "That would be stupid."
Nobody testified against the bill in the committee hearing. Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale, was the lone opposition vote on the committee.
"I was a lifeguard at a Chicago beach. I spent days and days and weeks in the sun, and loved it, as did so many people around me. And nobody that I knew came out with cancer," he said.
"The government has a certain role in our society. We are wildly overstepping our role in seeing to the safety and well being of 17-year-old young people. That's not my job."