Senate approves bill restricting minors from tanning beds

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would penalize minors for using tanning beds without parental consent, passed through the Senate Wednesday.

SB41 sponsor Sen. Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake City, called it a "big win," as the fifth substitute of the original bill now heads to the Utah House of Representatives. Supporters say it is a step in the right direction, as the incidence of melanoma continues to grow in Utah.

"There is no doubt that ultraviolet light is a carcinogen," said Dr. Sancy Leachman, a Huntsman Cancer Institute dermatologist. She said ultraviolet radiation from tanning beds causes mutations in the skin and does DNA damage, leading to various types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma being the most common.

"Just like tobacco smoke leads to lung cancer, ultraviolet radiation leads to skin cancer," Leachman said.

Exposure to ultraviolet light, she said, can also be addictive, giving off a "feel good" phenomenon that causes individuals to desire the effect and use tanning beds even more frequently.

"You go into a tanning bed for vanity reasons and you can die for vanity reasons," said MaryAnn Gerber, a 30-year-old skin cancer survivor who began using tanning beds at age 13. She said she screamed in disbelief when doctors provided the initial diagnosis six years ago.

The young adult said she followed all the rules at the tanning salons she visited over the years, including a gradual increase of exposure time and covering her face with a towel. After intensive surgery and treatment, Gerber formed a melanoma patient support group, called Sol Survivors, that meets monthly at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The majority of participants, Gerber said, are young women and girls.

"Kids are getting around the current rules," she said. When Gerber speaks to large groups of teens, she tells them, "you guys are going to be the ugliest, oldest looking generation because of all the tanning you do."

The proposed law would make visiting a tanning salon without a parent, and without proper identification, a class C misdemeanor for individuals under 18 years of age. In Utah, a class C misdemeanor is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Jones said business licenses of salons that patronize young teens would be revoked after just one violation. The state health department would be responsible for enforcing the rule if lawmakers and the governor ultimately adopt it.

Current rules require parental consent and a parent to be present when a person under 18 decides to get a tattoo or body piercing other than ear piercings.