WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed’s (D-RI) effort to educate consumers, reduce skin cancer, and warn young people about the risks of indoor tanning beds is advancing through Congress.

Last month, Reed and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced the Tanning Transparency and Notification Act of 2012 (S. 2301).  This legislation would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update and improve warning label standards on tanning beds.  Currently, the warning on tanning beds, which hasn’t been updated since 1979, is more than 100 words long and is often placed where it is not immediately visible.  The FDA reauthorization bill moving through the Senate includes a Reed-Isakson provision to encourage greater transparency of the warnings associated with indoor tanning.

Health advocates have testified before Congress that indoor tanning poses a significant health risk.  Studies have found that ultraviolet (UV) radiation from indoor tanning beds increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, by 75 percent.  The National Cancer Institute reports that women who use tanning beds more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to develop melanoma.

In 2007, Reed and Isakson championed legislation to direct the FDA to review warning labels on indoor tanning beds and approve a safe and effective national standard to educate consumers about the risks of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light.  Although the FDA found that updating current labeling requirements for tanning beds would better protect consumers from irreversible skin damage, it has yet to take steps to adopt new labeling rules.  The Tanning Transparency and Notification Act would require the FDA to heed its own advice and carry out the recommendations in its report to update the labeling requirements for tanning beds.

“This is a public health issue and a consumer protection issue.  Studies show that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light can increase the risk of skin cancer.  Making warning labels more visible, and the dangers of indoor tanning more clear, will give consumers, especially young people, the information they need to better protect themselves,” said Reed, who for years has pushed the FDA to improve sunscreen labeling standards. 

A 2011 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology found that a troubling number of young women are not being warned about the dangers of tanning beds by indoor tanning establishments.  The survey found: “43 percent of indoor tanners reported that they have never been warned about the dangers of tanning beds by tanning salon employees. When asked if they were aware of any warning labels on tanning beds, 30 percent of indoor tanners said no.  By age group, younger tanning bed users (age 14-17) were more likely to be unaware of any warning labels on tanning beds than older tanners (age 18-22) 42 percent vs. 25 percent, respectively.”

About 2 million Americans visit a tanning salon each day, 70 percent of whom are girls and women. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that at current rates, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer.  Approximately 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma, and the incidence of melanoma has been rising for at least 30 years.

The Reed-Isakson provision was included in the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act that was approved by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and must now be passed by the full Senate.