Grits hope to curb teen tanning
What we know — beyond a shadow of a doubt — is that exposure to ultraviolet radiation caused by use of tanning beds does cause cancer.”
Health Minister Deb Matthews
TORONTO — It’s lights out for Ontario teens who hit indoor tanning beds for a golden glow.
Health Minister Deb Matthews introduced legislation Thursday that would prohibit the sale and marketing of tanning services to people under the age of 18.
“What we know — beyond a shadow of a doubt — is that exposure to ultraviolet radiation caused by use of tanning beds does cause cancer,” Matthews said. “We know that tanning bed use increases the risk of malignant melanoma by 17%, and that risk increases to 75% if tanning bed use begins before the age of 35.
“Between 2006– 12, tanning bed use has more than doubled among Grade 11 and 12 students.”
The legislation, if passed, would require tanning bed operators to demand identification from anyone who appears to be under the 25 and to post health warning sings.
Mother- of- two Susan Cox, who attended Matthews’ announcement at the Toronto Princess Margaret Hospital, said she is now fighting a life-threatening battle with skin cancer after years of intense tanning bed use.
“Ironically, I thought it made me look healthy,” Cox said of her year-round tan. “When I was tanning, I had no idea tanning beds cause cancer and I wasn’t going to hear it from them.”
Kate Neale, a 22- year- old from Belleville, Ont., who went public with her own cancer diagnosis after years of tanning, wasn’t well enough to attend the launch of the legislation, but sent a message that her hope is to stop all teenagers from destroying their health in this way.
NDP MPP Andrea Horwath said her caucus colleague, NDP MPP France Gelinas, has been pushing for just such a law since 2008.
“It’s unfortunate it’s taken five years to get this point,” she said.
Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott said her party will review the bill.
“There is some pretty persuasive evidence that suggests that there could be significant health i mpacts on young people,” Elliott said.
Steven Gilroy, executive director of the Joint Canadian Tanning Association, said members of his organization follow voluntary guidelines that require parental approval for any youth who seeks their services.
Properly operated and supervised by professional operators, tanning beds pose no more health risk than many other common activities such as drinking alcohol or eating salted fish, provided that people with the fairest skin are banned as his organization recommends, he said.
Gilroy said the provincial government should be curbing self-serve tanning beds where no professional is on scene to check the user’s age or operate the equipment.
“There’s lots of beauty salons and small businesses like laundromats that put a tanning bed in there,” Gilroy said. “We know of one that’s in a gas station up in the North.”