FDA Proposes New Rule to Ban Use of Indoor Tanning Devices by Minors

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed 2 new rules to protect consumers from health risks associated with indoor tanning by banning use of indoor tanning devices by minors and imposing safety measures.

The first proposed rule restricts the use of indoor tanning devices to adults 18 years and older. It also requires indoor tanning facilities to inform adult users about the health risks of indoor tanning and obtain a signed risk acknowledgement from consumers before their first tanning session and every 6 months thereafter.

“Exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning is a preventable cause of skin cancer,” explained Markham C. Luke, MD, PhD, deputy office director for the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA is committed to protecting public health by informing consumers of the risks of indoor tanning.”

The second proposed rule addresses performance standards, requiring manufacturers and indoor tanning facilities to take measures to improve the overall safety of tanning devices. Key changes would include:

• Make consumer warnings more prominent and easier to read on tanning devices.

• Require an easily accessible emergency shutoff switch (or panic button) on all tanning devices.

• Add requirements to limit the amount of light allowed through protective eyewear to protect the eyes.

• Improve labeling on replacement bulbs to ensure tanning facility operators use the proper bulbs to reduce risk for accidental burns.

• Prohibit tanning facilities from making dangerous device modifications (eg, installing stronger bulbs) without recertifying and reidentifying the device with the FDA.

The FDA reports that more than 1 million minors use indoor tanning facilities each year. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, consumers younger than 35 years who use indoor tanning facilities are 59% more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. Because the effects of UV exposure are cumulative and add up over the course of one’s lifetime, minors who use indoor tanning devices are at an increased risk for developing melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers later in life.

In 2014 the FDA began requiring tanning devices to be labeled with a visible warning stating that individuals younger than 18 years should not use them. Additionally, several states have already passed laws prohibiting minors from indoor tanning; in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, tanning devices are banned in individuals younger than 17 years.

Dermatologists are in the position to discuss the health risks of indoor tanning with all patients regardless of age. Patients should be reminded that failure to wear appropriate protective eyewear can lead to short-term and long-term eye injury and that long exposures can lead to burning that may not be recognized until it is too late. It also is important to warn patients that tanning while using certain medications or cosmetics may cause increased sensitivity to UV radiation. Patients can be referred to the FDA website for more consumer updates about indoor tanning and the proposed rules.