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Florida Considers Banning Tanning Beds For Teens

By Eddie Farah

It's hard to believe that in the Sunshine State people pay to go into a tanning booth to get sun exposure. But they do, including kids who want to get ready for spring break or a cheerleading competition.

So state lawmakers have filed anti-tanning legislation that would ban those under the age of 16 from being able to go to a tanning bed. The law would go into effect July 1.

Needless to say, shop owners in the state fear an impact on their business and want the state legislature to mind its own business.

'God made us to naturally tan. If you were on an island, you would tan to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays,' says Brandi Botts of Tan Lines Studio in Cape Coral to First Coast News.

But lawmakers cite studies that show too much tanning, especially in young people can harm the skin and lead to skin cancer.

Naturally, people don't like government intrusion in their lives. But experts are beginning to agree that the UV exposure from tanning beds are linked to an increase in the risk for melanoma by 75 percent – according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. The biggest risk is for those who first use a tanning bed before the age of 35.

The World Health Organization doesn't believe tanning beds are safe for young people and promotes banning their use. The American Academy of Dermatology also believes their use should be restricted.

One girl puts it best in a blog- she knows from the location of the skin cancer she got in her 20s, that it could have only come from a tanning bed.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on March 27, 2009 (boomark / email).