Keep kids from tanning

Should minors be barred from tanning salons? Given what is known today about the causes of skin cancers, the question merits serious attention.

Perhaps an even bigger question should be asked. Should tanning salons be outlawed entirely?

The tanning industry would fight that, of course. Its argument is generally that the salons are safe, and that tanned skin actually protects a person against the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. Besides, salons administer ultraviolet light in small doses. Many doctors and researchers, however, would counter that the skin's DNA is damaged during the process of tanning the skin, which negates any alleged beneficial effects of a tan. Doctors speak anecdotally of seeing increases in the numbers of young people with serious skin problems.

Meanwhile, the medical establishment has compiled plenty of research that clearly points to the dangers inherent in frequent tanning, both outdoors and at a salon. One study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and involving a group of more than 100,000 Scandinavian women, found that people who visited a salon at least once a month had a 55 percent greater risk of developing cancer than those who didn't.

Several cities, counties and states are wrestling with this issue. Utah County's Board of Health voted this week to tighten its regulations, requiring permits for any tanning bed open to the public and removing the word "safety" from anything having to do with the equipment. The Federal Trade Commission, which regulates the way tanning machines are sold and marketed, already forbids claims having to do with the "healthful" effects of tanning.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Dermatology have called for a total ban on the use of tanning beds by minors.

The evidence is clear. However, medical research and common sense have a huge enemy — fashion. For many young people, a tan is as necessary as any other fashion accessory. For decades now, Western culture has generally considered a tan to be a sign of health and youthful energy. The tanning industry, therefore, is lucrative.

And, all the while, rates of skin cancer worldwide have been climbing. Any glance at an old photograph can explain why. Many years ago, people covered themselves up, from the hats on their heads to the long pants and dresses on their legs.

But the lure of fashion is powerful. It is particularly so for teenagers and young adults. Unfortunately, research shows they are the most at risk.

It would do little good to ban tanning salons all together. Adults can use them at their own risk.

But minors, who are vulnerable and immature, should be kept away.