Santa Fe, NM – January 24, 2017 – New Mexico does not allow anyone under the age of 18 to buy tobacco because it is a known carcinogen. However, under current state law, teens can use tanning devices even though the World Health Organization has classified them as “carcinogenic to humans” – the same category in which they classify tobacco.
“Skin cancer rates have soared during the past 30 years, making skin cancer the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States today. Worse yet, one in nine high school girls use tanning devices despite the fact that indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 59 percent,” said ACS CAN New Mexico Government Relations Director Sandra Adondakis.
Legislation introduced by Representative G. Andrés Romero could dramatically shift those dire statistics, saving young lives. The bill would prohibit anyone under 18 from using artificial tanning devices and make it unlawful for an owner or employee of a tanning facility to allow a minor to tan.
“Just as we protect our young people from the hazards of tobacco, New Mexico lawmakers have the opportunity and responsibility to protect children from the dangers of indoor tanning, which is considered a carcinogen,” said Representative Romero.
While cancer rates overall are decreasing in New Mexico and nationwide, melanoma—now the deadliest form of skin cancer—is actually rising at an alarming rate. Between the ages of 15 and 29, melanoma has become one of the most common cancers diagnosed.
“Because a poor outcome such as skin cancer can be delayed for years, it is difficult for young people to see tanning as a risk," said Amanda Harper, dermatologist and president of the New Mexico Dermatological Society.
“Tanning risks are amplified for young people because damage to the skin is cumulative. The pressure to tan starts long before young people realize that using a tanning bed can cause a deadly form of cancer and ongoing life-threatening consequences,” said skin cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Marianne Berwick of Albuquerque.
ACS CAN, along with New Mexico Cancer Center and the New Mexico Dermatological Society, strongly support the youth skin cancer protection bill and are working with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a resource to educate lawmakers and the public about the importance of the legislation.
“Indoor tanning use during adolescence and early adulthood increases the risk of early-adult onset melanoma,” according to melanoma surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Gershenwald of MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. “Therefore, restricting indoor tanning among minors is an opportunity to promote the health of our youth by eliminating a completely avoidable and well-established risk factor for melanoma.”
To get involved in the campaign to protect kids from skin cancer, New Mexicans can sign a petition at fightcancer.org/nmtanfreeteens.