FDA Targets Tanning Beds In Proposal For Tougher Regulations

Tanning beds could soon come with warning labels alerting indoor tanners to the increased risk of cancer as the Food and Drug Administration has announced a proposal for tougher regulations.

The FDA also proposed that tanning beds be restricted to people under the age of 18.

As of now, tanning lamps that emit the ultraviolet radiation in the beds are categorized as "low risk" — the same class as tongue depressors and Band-Aids — and are not required to undergo any review before they make their way onto the market, said Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

But with the agency's new proposal, tanning lamps would be categorized as class 2 devices, the same level as CT scanners that also emit radiation, Shuren said.

And if the proposal goes through, "There will be requirements that products have to meet in order to go on the market," Shuren added.

Tanning beds would also come with warning labels that alert consumers not to use the machines if they have skin cancer, a family history of the disease or any open skin lesions.

Shuren also said that if the proposed changes are made, which were first suggested by the public health agency in 2010, then the FDA could ensure they were working safely.

For example, there is concern about software issues that may cause a malfunction in the timing mechanism of the tanning bed, causing people to burn and be exposed to excess radiation.

"You're supposed to be able to tan without burning in these machines," Shuren said.

The World Health Organization considers ultraviolet light to be a carcinogen, just as cigarette smoke is categorized. According to Shuren, just one session in a tanning bed increases the risk for developing melanoma by 74 percent.

An industry representative for tanning salon companies says that they have had no involvement in the creation of this new proposal.

"The professional sunbed community has not had any input in this preliminary proposal thus far," the American Suntanning Association said.

"We remain dedicated to sunburn prevention and look forward to working with the FDA to improve consumer protection and to assure that all information regarding indoor tanning is in accordance with the science."