Indoor tan bans.

• Author: Hanson, Karmen
• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - Brief article

States have regulated indoor tanning operations for some years, but the issue made headlines again when a 5-year-old New Jersey girl went to school with a sunburn, and police arrested her mother. The woman, a devotee of tanning salons, was accused of letting her child get too close to a tanning device. A grand jury ultimately chose not to indict "Tan Mom," as she was called by the tabloids, but this spring, New Jersey raised the age at which a minor can use a commercial tanning bed from 14 to 17. Although exposure to ultraviolet light is fairly consistent across age groups, research indicates teens are more prone to risky behaviors and that blistering sunburns and overexposure during childhood greatly increase the chance of developing skin cancer--specifically melanoma, the deadliest form--later in life.

Thirty-three states place some form of age restrictions on ultraviolet tanning devices. California and Vermont ban their use by anyone under 18. Other state laws combine various restrictions. For example, Delaware, New...